Work beginning on 200 North overpass

The 200 North overpass project is well under way.

Construction began May 15 and, when completed, means residents of Kaysville will never have to wait for the trains to pass before they can cross the Union Pacific Railroad tracks on 200 North — they can go over them.

The new overpass will eliminate the traffic problems caused by trains. There are two places to cross the tracks, and 200 North is most important, said John Thacker, city manager. 200 North is the only place to access I-15 in Kaysville.

The trains create problems for those entering and exiting the freeway.

"Right now we have over 60 trains a day go by, and a lot of them come in the afternoon as people are trying to enter and exit the freeway," said Kaysville Mayor Neka Roundy.

Roundy said sometimes the traffic gets backed up to the freeway.

Even small disruptions cause traffic problems.

Sometimes a train will only stop traffic for three of four minutes, but during rush hour, said City Engineer Andy Thompson, traffic can get backed up a long time.

Construction will take a year and a half to two years, Thacker said. Work began May 15 on utility relocation, said Thompson. The utility relocation project should be finished by June. Then a detour route will be constructed and fill dirt will be piled up and left to settle while work continues on the structural part of the bridge through the winter and spring. After the dirt settles, work will continue and the bridge will be finished, by approximately fall 2007.

Roundy said there isn't a specific time frame for everything, but the project is started.

"We're moving forward and that's the main message," Roundy said.

Business access will be available throughout the project, and 200 North will remain open most of the time via a detour route 50 to 100 feet north of the existing road. The park and ride lot will temporarily be located at 400 West. It will make the project much easier to do if the traffic from the park and ride lot is not near 200 North, Thacker said.

"We're really excited to go through the discomfort of building it because we know the end result will be good," Roundy said.

The overpass will also help with economic development. It will provide easier access to businesses and more intercommerce in west Kaysville.

"We need that traffic flow to be available all the time," Roundy said.

The federal government allocated most of the funds for the approximately $20 million project. Kaysville city will pay approximately $3 million. The money will mostly come from impact fees charged those who are issued building permits, Thacker said.

"We're moving forward, and that's the main message," Roundy said.

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