Salt Lake commuters burn 30 hours sitting in traffic each year, report says

“The congestion can get pretty tight on I-15, so I avoid it by planning my sales calls around it,” Orr said. “Ever since Legacy (Highway) opened a couple of years ago, my 40-mile commute has been smooth sailing.”

Alexis Jones, who commutes from Salt Lake City to Provo, tries to leave early when it’s snowing.

“I leave a little later than the average morning commute,” Jones said. “On the days that it’s snowed a lot, the commute has been terrible, even leaving late.” Jones said the commute can almost double on days when the weather is bad.

For Ben Parkhurst of Orem, FrontRunner can be an ideal means of solving the traffic problem.

“A couple of areas get really congested on I-15 during rush hour, but when you’re on the train, you whiz past everything at 75 mph,” Parkhurst said. “It’s nice when you’ve been stuck in that traffic hundreds of times.”

Compared to other states, Utah’s roadways are well-designed, says Bob Winder, a native of Portland, Ore., who now lives in South Jordan.

“I leave early to avoid rush hour and can get downtown in 15 to 20 minutes,” Winder said. “Since the freeway expansion during the Olympics, the commute is not too bad.”

For Steve Anderson, a Logan resident who commutes once a week to Salt Lake City, he believes Cache County roads could use some work.

“Logan is crazy,” Anderson said. “Their one main street sees traffic from Preston, Idaho Falls and Nimph. I’d like to see some of Salt Lake’s great road design over there.”

E-mail: rlowry@desnews.com