As for the road construction, UDOT representatives said the demolition portion of the project should be finished by the end of December.

So far, more than half of the properties have been leveled, said Geoff Dupaix, UDOT's public-involvement coordinator.

UDOT hired Bland Trees Service and Eagle Environment Inc. to complete the project. For every house, Eagle inspects and cleans the property and rids the house of dangerous materials, including asbestos. Bland oversees demolition and removal.

"As you drive through there, it's changing every week," Dupaix said. "There is more and more land being cleared."

After demolition is finished, utility crews will come in before starting the road construction. Winter weather shouldn't pose a problem for the construction, Dupaix said. When it is completed in two years, the road will have six lanes with a landscaped center median.

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E-mail: jburke@desnews.com