State transportation officials are warning drivers to plan ahead this weekend, as they prepare to carry out blasting and other work associated with a planned expansion of the highway that runs through Provo Canyon.
Temporary closures of U.S. 189 are planned for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
It’ll start with a brief highway closure Thursday morning between the intersection of state Route 113 in Charleston and Main Canyon Road in Wallsburg, Wasatch County, beginning at 10 a.m. The closure will last about an hour as crews conduct controlled blasting near Deer Creek Reservoir on the Wasatch County side of the canyon.
Lane closures are planned for the same area beginning at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, with a full closure later in the night and into early Sunday. The full closure is expected to last through 4 a.m. Sunday, with alternating traffic in the canyon lasting through 9 a.m.
Weather could impact some schedules, though, according to UDOT. Drivers who typically use those routes at any of those times are advised to adjust their travel plans or use alternate routes.
The work will help UDOT clear the path for new northbound lanes on U.S. 189 in the area. More blasting is planned next month as crews work to carve out new space in the canyon to widen the highway.
Officials say work to establish new northbound lanes is expected to be complete by mid-2026, after which work will begin to expand southbound lanes. The project, they add, seeks to improve access to the popular reservoir.
U.S. 189 also links Utah and Wasatch counties, which are among the state’s fastest-growing counties. Utah County remained the state’s fastest-growing county by population in 2025, while Wasatch County was sixth in percentage growth, the Utah Population Committee reported on Wednesday.