SALT LAKE CITY — Drivers traveling between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Utah County will have to take a detour for a few days. The Utah Department of Transportation Wednesday announced plans for the temporary closure of Guardsman Pass as well as in American Fork Canyon starting Thursday, July 9.
Guardsman Pass Road will close to traffic during daylight hours on Thursday, July 9, Monday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 14, from the state Route 190 entrance to the summit/winter gate. The restrictions are being implemented as crews repave the frequently used roadway in the area, explained UDOT spokesman John Gleason.
“It’s just too narrow of a road for us to keep any traffic moving through there during the repaving project, but we’re going to wrap it up pretty quickly,” he said. “We just want to let people know so that they don’t make plans if there are people that use it for their commute. We want to let them know that for those three weekdays, they’re not going to be able to access Guardsman.”
The $4.5 million Guardsman Pass road work is part of a larger effort to repave 9 miles of S.R. 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon spanning from milepost 8 to Brighton Ski Resort, he said. The project started early this month and is scheduled to continue through the fall.
“It’s an area that sees a lot of wear and tear (and) a lot of weather, especially during the winter months. So it’s critical that we maintain our roads and do everything that we can to keep our canyon roads in top shape,” Gleason said. “That’s what this project is all about, making sure that we can provide an enjoyable experience for everyone who wants to visit the canyons and maybe visit some of the resorts and outdoor recreational activities that we have.”
Drivers are advised to plan for one-way traffic controlled by flaggers, he noted, adding that delays could last up to 15 minutes.
“We’re trying to minimize inconvenience as much as possible,” he said. “There will be some impacts during the weekdays, but we’re trying to open up access to Big Cottonwood Canyon and our canyon (recreation) areas during the weekends when so many people are trying to get out here and enjoy the outdoors and we want to provide that access to them.”
UDOT currently has multiple projects underway aimed at preserving and enhancing access to recreation areas in numerous Wasatch canyons, a news release stated.
Information on the Big Cottonwood Canyon and S.R. 190 paving project, as well as other transportation and traffic updates for both Cottonwood Canyons, are available at cottonwoodcanyons.udot.utah.gov. The UDOT project team can be contacted via email at cottonwoodcanyons@utah.gov or by phone at (888) 420-1555.
UDOT also announced restrictions at Tibble Fork that are scheduled to begin this weekend. The agency, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pleasant Grove Ranger District, will close the parking lot at Tibble Fork Reservoir from 5 p.m. on Sunday through noon on Friday, July 17, for repaving.
“We’re trying to do it in the time between the July Fourth holiday and Pioneer Day so that people that want to get out there for the 24th of July have that opportunity,” Gleason said. To expedite completion of the paving work, all parking inside the work zone and on S.R. 144 will be strictly prohibited and violators will be towed, the release stated.
Tibble Fork Reservoir will remain open and accessible for recreation, but users will have to park in other areas outside of the work zone, Gleason said. S.R. 144 will also remain open for visitors accessing forest roads that connect Silver Lake Flat Reservoir, Granite Flat Campground and Mineral Basin areas.
“The parking lot at Tibble Fork Reservoir is showing signs of significant wear and tear due to years of freezing and thawing at such a high elevation and the large amount of vehicle use,” said UDOT project manager Rux Rowland. “We have a narrow window of time with the higher elevations and wanted to avoid impacting the July Fourth and 24th weekends. We understand the effects this will have on recreation users in the canyon, so we plan to get in and complete the work as quickly as possible.”
Repaving work in the remaining areas of American Fork Canyon is expected to continue through early August, the release stated. Upon completion in the canyon, construction is scheduled to extend on S.R. 92 from the mouth of the canyon to 5500 West in Highland, with the entire project expected to be completed in September.
“(With) the amount of wear and tear and the amount of weather that these canyon areas see, we want to make sure people that are visiting our state and our own Utahns have a safe, reliable, enjoyable experience here in the canyons,” Gleason said. “A project like this means a smoother ride, (that it’s) more durable, more reliable and we think people are going to be really pleased with the result.”