PROVO — An imminent repair job on Provo's Center Street overpass and connecting I-15 ramps will take about eight weeks to complete, according to a construction plan unveiled this week by the Utah Department of Transportation.

The project — initially planned to be done in 2005 — was delayed because of difficulty obtaining necessary permits from railroad companies, which would be affected by any construction on the near-the-tracks thoroughfares.

A UDOT spokesman told the Provo City Council on Tuesday that all problems surrounding the permits are almost worked out and the project should begin sometime between April 17-24, depending on when permits are approved.

Crews from Granite Construction will tear up existing asphalt, then examine and treat the underlying concrete and support structure on the bridges included in the project area.

"The condition of those bridges is such that they need to be repaired — pothole repair and some structural issues underneath the bridges," UDOT Public Involvement Coordinator Geoffrey Dupaix told the council.

During the project, crews will close lanes and bridges on a rotating basis. According to a UDOT traffic map from 2004, some 34,000 cars use those bridges daily.

For the first three weeks, the exit ramp from southbound I-15 to eastbound Center Street will be closed. After that, the onramp from Center Street to northbound I-15 will close for two weeks. In the final phase, the Center Street overpass itself will be closed for three weeks.

Dupaix said UDOT recognizes the closures would pose traffic problems — but said doing the project in that manner would cut its duration in half.

UDOT has mapped out detours and Granite Construction has hired a public-relations representative of its own to publicize the alternate routes.

Drivers affected by the on- and off-ramp closures will be routed to the University Avenue interchange in south Provo, while those affected by the overpass closure will be routed to 600 South or 800 North to get across the interstate.

"We recognize this is going to have an impact; that's why we're here to discuss this with you," Dupaix said.

Council members, while glad UDOT made the effort to keep them in the loop, were also frustrated by how long it has taken to get this project under way.

Councilwoman Cindy Richards called the Center Street interchange the "front door of Provo," saying residents want to see it kept up better than it has been.

"This overpass is one of — if not the most — neglected overpasses in the county," she said.

Council members also were concerned that this project would move Provo down the list for an overpass-reconstruction project, which they said is what truly needs to happen.

Dupaix, however, assured them that this project would have no impact on future projects, and Provo's needs would still be a high priority when major I-15 construction begins in central and southern Utah County, though that will likely not happen until 2011 or later.

"This is just a Band-Aid until we rebuild the interchange," he said, "which essentially is what we will do."

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E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com