The Utah Department of Transportation is beginning work this Saturday on a multi-year project to reconstruct I-80 in Salt Lake County from State Street to 1300 East.
Crews will widen shoulders and bridges on the east-bound section of the highway. During peak traffic hours, all three east- and west-bound lanes will remain open, but one east-bound lane will close during off-peak hours.
The widening will allow UDOT to create what is known as a "reversible" lane that will be used during full construction, perhaps as soon as next year. Reversible lanes are used to accommodate heavy traffic headed in one direction, and then "reversed" so motorists can use it when traffic is bad the opposite direction.
When construction starts, UDOT will try to keep five lanes of traffic open. Two lanes will be open in each direction for regular traffic, and the fifth, reversible lane, will be used when lanes are congested in a particular direction.
UDOT anticipates it will finish work to widen the bridges and shoulders by the end of the year. No time frame has been set for when full construction will start. UDOT says it will replace all the bridges in the area, in addition to repaving the road.
The I-80 bridges from State Street to 1300 East are some of the lowest-rated for structural safety in the state, prompting the replacement, according to UDOT.