UDOT closing I-15 ramps to extend carpool lanes

The Utah Department of Transportation is planning several ramp closures this week on I-15 to allow work on a project to extend the express lane from 500 South in Salt Lake City to the junction with I-215 in Davis County.

The 4-mile project will add a carpool lane in each direction. The $125 million project will require two years to complete.

"In addition to Legacy Parkway, this project will deliver more relief to commuters by increasing capacity on I-15 between Davis and Salt Lake counties," said Jason Davis, UDOT's Region II deputy director, in a prepared statement.

Two ramps will be closed on Sunday. The northbound onramp at 2300 North in Salt Lake City onto I-15 and from U.S. 89 onto northbound I-15 will be closed from Sunday at 2 p.m. to Monday at 5 a.m.

The express-lane expansion, called Express Link, is another phase in UDOT's goal of a consecutive carpool lane from Provo to Ogden "and hopefully further," said Adam Carrillo, UDOT spokesman.

Crews will widen the highway about 25 more feet to permit the additional lanes, and four bridges are slated for reconstruction or replacement. The bridges at 800 North and 1100 North in Salt Lake City will be replaced by one new bridge at 1100 North. Beck Street and the U.S. 89 overpass near I-215 will also be reconstructed.

Work has already begun on I-15's northbound shoulder for the highway widening, and single northbound lane restrictions are scheduled every night from 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. until Jan. 16.

The express lane may not stay a carpool lane for long. Carrillo said the department is currently considering options on how to change it to a toll lane that will track commuters electronically and charge them for using the new lane.

"We just need to figure out what will be most fair and what technology will fit our needed application," Carrillo said. "It's still a few years off."

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