A new phase of 800 North work

OREM — The next hurdle in Orem's 800 North construction project is crossing State Street.

Beginning Saturday, crews will rip up chunks of the intersection to make way for gas lines and water pipes, preparatory to the eventual widening and repaving.

The work is just one piece of a lengthy project undertaken by Orem City and Utah's Department of Transportation to transform 800 North into a University Parkway-like road, with seven lanes and a raised, landscaped median from 400 West to 800 East.

The nearly $56 million project has been going fairly smoothly, although last week's cold snap slowed work a bit, said UDOT spokesman Geoff Dupaix.

If the weather cooperates, the 24-hour construction at the State Street intersection should be done by the last of March or first week of April, Dupaix said.

In the meantime, lanes will be down to two and possibly even one at times. But as with the entire project, UDOT is working to keep the public updated and informed.

"It'll change their route for a brief period of time," Dupaix said. "We're trying to get the word out ahead of time so no one's caught unaware."

But it's hard for 800 North neighbors to be unaware as they see and hear construction day after day.

"It's just loud," said one resident who lives on the north side of 800 North. He said the construction usually begins at 7 a.m., and getting to his house is always a bit interesting. "I just wish they would have tore out the other side of the road."

He said he's worried the project will increase traffic and make the already busy road too unmanageable.

However, the construction doesn't worry his neighbor, Kevin Patten.

"Cars are going to be there, whether I want them or not," he said. "It's just weird that all these houses are gone."

UDOT bought more than 60 parcels along 800 North and demolished them to make room for the road expansion.

And although the construction can often be frustrating and full of traffic delays, some 800 North residents are looking at the positive side of things.

"It's going to be a real opportunity for us," said Lee Berge, owner of Berge LA Auto at 199 E. 800 North.

Currently, the auto dealership has a giant trench in its front yard and backhoes dotting the property. But the Berges decided that while the road gets a makeover, their company will get one too, with a new, elegant facade. The traffic slowdown on 800 North just gives people more time to look at their cars for sale, they said.