PROVO — The Utah Department of Transportation is removing the welcome mat from Provo's front door and replacing it with construction signs.
An eight-week, $3.12 million rehabilitation project on Provo's Center Street overpass and I-15 interchange ramps gets under way Monday with the first of three construction phases.
Each phase likely will be accompanied by varying degrees of inconvenience for motorists, which UDOT hopes to offset with temporary traffic signals, flaggers and well-indicated alternate routes.
UDOT spokesman Geoff Dupaix said the three bridges at the Center Street interchange need significant repair — the I-15 southbound and northbound off-ramps and the Center Street viaduct that crosses over the railroad tracks.
"Bridges have a life-span like anything else," Dupaix said. "Over time, with wear and tear, bridges need to be repaired."
Crews will tear up existing asphalt, then examine and treat the underlying concrete and support structure of the bridges.
"We'll be doing some work to extend the life of these bridges," he said.
The rehabilitation project isn't a permanent fix, Dupaix said, but it will allow the bridges to continue to function properly until Utah County undergoes a four-year I-15 reconstruction. That project could begin as soon as 2011.
The first phase of the interchange project will close the southbound I-15 off-ramp to eastbound Center Street from Monday until May 10.
Motorists will be detoured to the adjacent off-ramp to Center Street. A temporary traffic signal and flaggers will be at the site in an effort to keep traffic flowing and prevent backup on the ramp and freeway.
The project's next phase will close the northbound directional ramp to eastbound Center Street May 11-25. Motorists will need to use University Avenue — Exit 263 — to access downtown Provo. Electronic signs will be posted on I-15 to alert motorists of the closure.
The final phase will close the Center Street viaduct for about three weeks beginning in late May after the first two phases are complete.
"This will create some additional travel time because motorists are going to have to use alternate routes to get around this area," Dupaix said.
Motorists will be detoured along 900 West and 1600 West to 600 South, he said. Provo's 800 North to Geneva Road also can be used as an alternate route.
The project originally was planned for 2005, but it was delayed because of difficulty obtaining necessary permits from railroad companies affected by the construction.
"They have the permits now," Dupaix said, "and we're moving forward with the project."
UDOT presented the construction plan to the Provo City Council on April 4. Some council members voiced their frustration with how long it has taken the project to get under way.
Councilwoman Cindy Richards called the Center Street interchange the "front door of Provo" and "one of — if not the most — neglected overpasses in the county."
E-mail: jpage@desnews.com