Fast interchange ahead

WEST VALLEY CITY — Those who live here know it best. During peak traffic hours, just passing through an intersection along the Bangerter Highway can take several minutes.

Without funding for a new west-side freeway, officials at the Utah Department of Transportation say there is no way to "significantly" reduce wait time in traffic along Bangerter.

But they do have a plan to cut time spent waiting to cross an intersection by up to 60 percent. And time saved at an intersection means time saved on an overall commute, according to UDOT spokesman Nile Easton.

By early June, UDOT hopes to begin construction on a new type of intersection at 3500 South and Bangerter. The design is known as a "continuous flow intersection." It supposedly cuts wait time at the intersection up to 60 percent by better coordinating when cars can move during a green light.

"We're confident this will make the transportation system along Bangerter work better," Easton said. "Bangerter has had a bad rap as a road that has functionality problems. People get frustrated on it. By eliminating the time spent waiting at an intersection, traffic will flow more smoothly."

The new intersection design was patented in Mexico, according to Jesse B. Anderson with Carter & Burgess engineering, UDOT's contractor on the project. It works by a combination of creative signaling and a "non-intuitive" design, said Anderson.

For instance, if a motorist heading south on Bangerter wanted to turn left onto 3500 South, he would cross the oncoming lane of traffic and move into a separate lane near the northeast corner of the intersection.

The motorist would be directed whether to move into that lane by a red or green light signal. The lane would be adjacent to a separate lane for cars turning right onto Bangerter from 3500 South.

These movements would be mirrored for cars headed northbound on Bangerter that want to turn left onto 3500 South. The goal is to allow left-hand turns to occur at the same time north and southbound traffic on Bangerter is moving.

These coordinated movements, combined with different timing of stop and go signals, are what reduce wait time at intersections, according to Lisa Wilson, UDOT project manager for the intersection.

A video simulation of vehicle movements will be available at a public open house Thursday. The open house is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the West Valley City Hall.

Bert Compton with Carter & Burgess said other than reduced traffic time, benefits of the new intersection include low cost and minimal impact to property. The intersection will cost about $8 million to construct, compared to $20 million or $30 million for an interchange.