Poor striping causes near misses on new road in Springville

SPRINGVILLE — The new 400 South interchange-reconstruction project opened Thursday to the tune of screeching brakes and swerving motorists, due to confusing striping of the left-turn lanes.

Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Thompson said the lines will be repainted.

Springville resident John McGowan said he witnessed several near misses when motorists were negotiating the left turn to and from 1750 West.

McGowan, a freelance photojournalist, took photos of what he described as confused and angry drivers as he stood near the intersection.

"The people were slamming on their brakes," McGowan said.

Thompson said UDOT received similar complaints. Apparently, the north/south and east/west left-turn lanes were striped as the same lane.

The project, which cost just under $94 million and took about nine months to complete, turned a rural, two-lane highway into a five-lane thoroughfare with a center turn lane along the entire 2.2-mile stretch of road.

The interchange allows motorists to access I-15 from a single lane, and new lanes were added on the freeway between the two Springville interchanges so drivers don't have to merge into traffic as they travel from one interchange to the other, Thompson said.

UDOT also installed a city waterline the entire length of the new road. Springville contributed some $750,000 for that, "since we were tearing up the road anyway," Thompson said.

Work crews also built a bridge over the railroad tracks that have stopped traffic along 400 South for decades and replaced a new bridge near Springville's Main Street.

Local and state dignitaries held a ribbon cutting atop the bridge at 1500 West to open the road.

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com