Provo freeway interchange to get new look

PROVO — Provo got a new interchange design at Center Street on Tuesday night.

Responding to concerns that a proposed rotary design interchange didn't meet the city's needs, the Utah Department of Transportation offered a new look for Provo, loosely based on the diamond interchange.

"It's a much simplified design," said Dal Hawks, project director for the Utah County I-15 Corridor Expansion Project. "There's less opportunity for drivers to be confused about where they are in the system and how they would maneuver."

Designing an interchange for Provo's Center Street was particularly challenging because of existing rail lines and other infrastructure. Hawks said the new design was a group effort by city officials and UDOT.

The result is unique.

"We struggled to identify a name for this type of interchange," Hawks said. "I think it's difficult to come up with a name other than it's the Provo Center Street interchange."

The major challenge for motorists, he said, will be for those entering I-15 from downtown Provo to head south. The maneuver will require drivers to enter the northbound access lane and then loop under the freeway in what Hawks called a "Texas turnaround," because the configuration is popular in that state.

The revised design, he said, will provide good access to downtown. By enlarging lanes, it's designed to meet the growing demands of traffic to 2030.

Mayor John Curtis said the new configuration will make it easier for Provo to design an attractive entrance to Provo's historic downtown.

e-mail: mhaddock@desnews.com