Crumbling section of I-80 will be rebuilt

As work crews made emergency repairs Tuesday on a crumbling section of I-80, transportation officials said they're planning a $40 million reconstruction of the busy roadway.

Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Brent Wilhite told the Deseret Morning News that beginning in 2008, UDOT will rebuild I-80 between State Street and 1300 East using money from the Centennial Highway Fund.

Work crews were patching a piece of that stretch Tuesday after a chunk of I-80 fell onto Highland Drive the day before.

"This section of I-80 is about 40-45 years old," Wilhite said of the freeway, which was built in 1965. "It's reaching its life span, and it needs reconstruction."

Signs of aging emerged Monday, when a pothole deteriorated so much that it broke through the bottom of a bridge near the 1300 East exit.

UDOT closed two eastbound lanes between 800 East and 1200 East and the on-ramp from 700 East to eastbound I-80, causing traffic headaches during rush hour. Wilhite said the restrictions will lifted as soon as possible.

"We want to make sure this bridge is safe and can handle the capacity," Wilhite said.

Crews were busy pouring new concrete Tuesday.

Other I-80 bridges have required similar maintenance in the past, Wilhite said. In the past 10 years, UDOT crews have repaired bridges at 2300 East and 2700 East.

The stretch between State Street and 700 East averages 110,630 commuters a day, Wilhite said. The 2008 reconstruction will create "auxiliary lanes" — or shoulders that double as extra travel lanes during rush hour.

As the bridges get older and older, problems can arise. UDOT performs patchwork as necessary, but a long-term fix is eventually required, Wilhite said.

"This will be a quick fix," Wilhite said. "We don't want to do too much right now because we're going to do a major reconstruction on this."

A construction schedule for the 2008 project has not been completed, but Wilhite said UDOT officials will most likely close the freeway at night and just one lane in the daytime.

UDOT completed a similar I-80 reconstruction in the early '90s. Nine bridges were reconstructed on a 1.2-mile stretch between I-15 and Redwood Road at a price tag of about $10 million.

"It's a high-traffic area, and as we can keep it open as much as possible, it minimizes the problem for us," Wilhite said of I-80 between State Street and 1300 East.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com