RIVERTON — At the construction site of the future Mountain View Corridor, Global Positioning System technology is navigating the navigators.
Huge GPS devices have been attached to the equipment that's grading the road. The equipment operators push dirt at about 7-10 mph, while glancing down at computers inside their cabs that show their position in relation to where the future road will materialize.
"It can tell him to go to the right or left," said Randy Norton, survey manager for Copper Hills Constructors, the construction consortium that's building the future west-side freeway. "Or which corner of his blade needs to come up."
The operators use the computers to determine whether they're grading in the right places and whether they're going too deep or not deep enough into the ground.
Teri Newell, Mountain View Corridor project director, said that GPS aids with precision in grading, which will ultimately help the commuters who'll use the corridor.
"You'll get a smooth ride," she said. "It also saves time."
Time is saved because operators can feel confident to set their blades on automatic, knowing they're on the correct course, she said.
GPS is increasingly being used on construction sites. More earth-moving equipment is sold with devices installed, or it can be installed in existing equipment for about $85,000.
Mountain View Corridor is a future west-side freeway that will someday connect I-80 to Lehi's Main Street. There isn't money to build of all it yet. For now, Copper Hills Constructors have been hired to build 45 mph frontage roads through part of Salt Lake County, from 16000 South to 5400 South, and in Utah County, an I-15 interchange at 2100 North in Lehi.
The Salt Lake County section of the corridor is 15 miles, and is expected to cost $730 million. Ground was broken in the spring and the road will be done in 2013.
The Utah County section of the corridor is three miles, and will cost $120 million. Ground was broken in January and the project is expected to be done in the fall of 2011.
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