An additional benefit of the I-15 reconstruction project has been a noticeable improvement in safety.
The overall accident rate and the fatal accident rate for the I-15 corridor have been much lower the past two years than during a three-year period prior to reconstruction, according to recent UDOT statistics.
From 1994 until the start of construction in spring '97, there was one fatal accident on the 17-mile corridor for every 100 million miles driven and 1.74 accidents for every million miles driven.
From May 2001 to May 2003, the fatal accident rate has dropped to just 0.23, and the overall accident rate has dropped from 1.74 to 1.42.
"Maybe most people don't realize it, but it's a very safe facility," said UDOT executive director John Njord. "And that translates into something that's pretty important to us at the department, and that's people. People's lives have been saved as a result of the reconstruction of I-15."
During the project, the accident rate reached 2.49, but the fatal accident rate was less than half its pre-construction average at 0.47. The roadwork seemed to cause more accidents, but many were of a minor nature, with fender benders a not-too-surprising result of narrow, restricted lanes and stop-and-go traffic.