Timpanogos Highway ready to open Saturday

LEHI — The much-anticipated revamped Timpanogos Highway is finally ready to open, with the Utah Department of Transportation  allowing the first vehicles to use the road beginning Saturday.

The project has been plagued by cost overruns and long delays. Penalties of $15,000 per day were levied against contractor Flatiron Harper Joint Venture for months because deadlines for completion were missed.

The road-widening of State Road 92 — adding a lane in each direction as well as a center lane — also includes the state's first express commuter lanes to provide motorists with a "direct connect" with I-15 that bypasses traffic signals or certain exits. The project also includes re-engineering of the interchange to handle new traffic configurations.

Unlike the HOV/Express Lanes on the freeway, the commuter lanes are available to all motorists and do not require having more than one person in a vehicle or an Express Pass. Commercial trucks are also allowed in the commuter lanes.

The original deadline for the $150 million overhaul of the 6-mile stretch of highway was May 2011. The roadway is heavily used by northern Utah County residents and is the main connector to American Fork Canyon.

Visit http://www.udot.utah.gov/sr92/ for more information.

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