LAYTON — The Utah Department of Transportation says traffic into Hill Air Force Base may be slower than normal, as work proceeds on the state’s Interstate 15 Express Lanes project.
On their Express Lanes project web page, UDOT says lanes on 650 North at I-15 in Clearfield have been shifted and reduced. The westbound lanes on the road have been reduced to two through lanes under I-15, with eastbound lanes reduced to one left-turn lane and one lane for through traffic. UDOT said drivers should expect delays on the road, which leads into Hill’s west gate entry point.
Further south, in Layton, the Church Street bridge remains closed until May 2020 as crews relocate utilities, demolish the existing bridge and begin to build a new structure. Drivers who would normally take Church Street should follow detour signs to Fort Lane and Gentile Street.
In an email, UDOT spokesman Vic Saunders said crews will soon begin replacing concrete panels along I-15 from Riverdale Road to just beyond the I-84 northbound I-15 on-ramp.
As part of the $169 million Express Lanes project, UDOT is adding lanes to north and southbound I-15 between Hill Field Road in Layton and Interstate 84 near the Riverdale/Ogden border.
UDOT will also replace freeway bridges at Church Street and at 200 South in Clearfield. Bridges at Gentile Street in Layton, 700 South and 650 North in Clearfield, and at 5600 West and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Roy will also see construction.
After Church Street is reopened, Gentile Street will also be closed, for as many as 45 days.
The project isn’t scheduled to be complete until 2020. Once it’s done, Utah’s Express Lanes system will extend 80 miles, running continuously from Utah County to Weber County. UDOT officials have said the completed project will make Utah’s Express Lane the longest uninterrupted system in the United States.
Carpoolers, buses, motorcycles, emergency vehicles and clean-fuel vehicles are allowed to travel in the lanes free of charge. The system also allows for solo drivers when space is open, but those motorists must pay a fee for usage. An electronic payment process charges solo drivers by using an algorithm that adjusts the price based on current traffic conditions. Costs are higher when I-15 is more congested.
