RIVERTON — The Utah Department of Transportation reduced speed limits by 10 mph near the intersection of Redwood Road and Bangerter Highway following several accidents there, including one fatal crash.
Motorists driving near the intersection Wednesday morning noticed speed limit signs now read 50 mph on Bangerter Highway and 35 mph on Redwood Road.
The intersection is under construction until summer 2015. The project includes creating an overpass for Bangerter over Redwood.
The bridge project is the second in a series for Bangerter Highway. Two more projects are already funded and ready to begin. The ultimate goal is to turn Bangerter into a freeway, eliminating dangerous intersections.
Some motorists say the intersection is tricky to maneuver and at times dangerous.
“We felt that there were additional things that we could do,” said UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo.
Last Saturday, crews responded to two crashes at the intersection, one of which resulted in the death of a 20-year-old woman. After those incidents, some motorists said the intersection is hard to navigate, and some were unclear where to stop after the signal turned red.
On Sunday, UDOT used flaggers to help direct traffic, repositioned the signals and did some restriping.
“We've also partnered with Bluffdale and Riverton to have them help us increase the safety of this area by having some of their officers out there and help us patrol these new safety measures," Carrillo said.
He said the intersection will be an active work zone for months, and UDOT will continually monitor any safety issues that come up and make changes as needed.
Email: kmccord@deseretnews.com