Transportation

Completion of I-15 redesign project months away

Lehi residents and others who live and work in northern Utah County will find I-15 construction-free by the end of the year as the Utah Department of Transportation’s Technology Corridor project comes to an end.

“We’re in the final stretch,” said Boyd Humpherys, UDOT project director for the Technology Corridor project. “We started construction in the summer of 2018 and now we’re in the final year. The project is scheduled to be complete in late 2020, and that’s still where we’re at.”

The Technology Corridor project has involved a major redesign of the I-15 area between Lehi’s Main Street and State Route 92. When completed, the project will have widened I-15 to six lanes in each direction and constructed 17 new bridges. The new pavement on the freeway is designed to last 40 years and the new bridges are designed to last 75 years.

The project also includes the creation of a one-way frontage road system between 2100 North in Lehi and S.R. 92. The frontage roads — one southbound and one northbound — will have two lanes each and enable traffic to easily access businesses on both sides of the freeway while also offering northbound-only and southbound-only freeway on-ramps and off-ramps.

Humpherys said these types of on- and off-ramps are new to Utah but are used in other parts of the country. They will provide drivers with more options while easing the traffic load at the SR-92 and 2100 North interchanges.

“By placing these additional on- and off-ramps, drivers will have more access points, which will help disperse traffic and should reduce the number of vehicles concentrating at each interchange. It’s going to allow better access — and more access — to the freeway,” he said.

A new interchange is being constructed at S.R. 92. It has already been reconfigured from its original diverging diamond design to a more traditional diamond interchange design, Humpherys said. When completed, it will have multiple lanes allowing traffic on and off of I-15.

A new configuration at the 2100 North interchange will provide added traffic capacity and a new flyover southbound I-15 on-ramp as well as a planned future connection to the Mountain View Corridor.

Employees at businesses in the Technology Corridor project area expressed a desire to access their work using their bicycles; some businesses even have areas in their facilities where employee bikes can be stored. Humpherys said UDOT realizes that freeways and interchanges are often barriers to bikers and pedestrians,

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and the Technology Corridor project has been designed with pedestrian bridges at S.R. 92 and Triumph Boulevard.

“Our goal was to build pedestrian paths that connect to existing local and regional trails such as the Murdock Canal Trial and future connections. This improves connectivity and enhances safety throughout the corridor,” he said.

Designated bike and pedestrian paths are also being created along the frontage roads. UDOT has coordinated with the Utah Transit Authority and these paths will increase access from the Lehi FrontRunner station to businesses along both sides of I-15.

The Technology Corridor is the last section of I-15 to be rebuilt and improved from Spanish Fork to the north end of Salt Lake County. Its completion will reduce the traffic bottleneck that has existed in the area, Humpherys said.

“It’s been good, and it will just continue to get better as we get more and more of these features done,” he said.

For more information and to view an animation illustrating the entire finished project, visit udot.utah.gov/ techcorridor/.

Even in the midst of international impacts on the economy, the City of Saratoga Springs is continuing to move forward strongly with commercial development, transportation improvements and residential growth.

Saratoga Springs has been at the forefront of this residential growth year-over-year for the last 20 years, continually ranking in the top five along the entire Wasatch Front. The city’s current population is nearing 38,000 residents and growing far ahead of prior projections. This continued growth will translate into a 35 percent population increase over the next five years or 51,000 total residents. At this rate, Saratoga Springs’ population will nearly double in the next 10 years.

As we progress forward, Saratoga Springs is working with commercial developers and brokers to tell our story and demonstrate the unique dynamic of our city and the surrounding region. Our ability to tell this story played a significant role in Costco’s recent announcement to build in Saratoga Springs, with the project still on track for completion during the summer of 2020.

Since the announcement of Costco, a wide variety of businesses have reached out to the city and local developers about opening new locations in our area. These include everything from additional big-box stores to mid-box stores, fast-casual dining to sit-down restaurants, and hotels, family entertainment, dance schools, medical services and more.

Getting to these businesses is now easier than ever. Saratoga Springs’s commercial district is home to a new interchange for Utah’s western freeway system, the Mountain View Corridor. The first phase of this multi-faceted intersection connects several municipalities to Interstate 15, Bangerter Highway and Redwood Road. It provides multiple outlets to Salt Lake City and the hub of Silicon Slopes. This interchange is also located next to the future home of two new medical facilities from Utah’s top hospital systems.

So, what does all of this growth mean for economic development in Saratoga Springs?

Most importantly, it means that our residents will continue to find great places to go out to eat, have fun with their families, and enjoy the amazing quality of life in our community.

As we like to say in Saratoga Springs, “Life’s just better here!”

David S. Johnson, MPA Economic Development & Public Relations Director City of Saratoga Springs