Mountain View Corridor Freeway

The Mountain View Corridor (MVC) freeway, scheduled for completion by the end of 2012, is being built between western Salt Lake and north-western Utah counties.

New bridges were also built over the Jordan River as part of the Mountain View Corridor project.

Construction work on the Utah County side of the Mountain View Corridor project began in February 2010 and was completed by September 2011, while the Salt Lake County side works began in summer 2010 and will complete by the end of 2012.

Building work on the Utah County side of the Mountain View Corridor project was carried out by Hadco Construction.

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is sponsor of the Mountain View Corridor project. Utah Transit Authority co-sponsors the project and assisted in the environmental assessment.

The Mountain View Corridor (MVC) freeway, scheduled for completion by the end of 2012, will serve 13 municipalities in Utah. The planned freeway, transit and trail system is being built between western Salt Lake and north-western Utah counties.

Construction work on the Utah County side of the project began in February 2010 and was completed by September 2011, while the Salt Lake County side works began in summer 2010 and will complete by the end of 2012.

The environmental impact statement (EIS) for the MVC project was carried out in November 2008. The EIS was recognised by the Federal Highway Administration for process improvements in 2009.

The project’s primary aims are to improve regional mobility by reducing roadway congestion and support increased transit availability. The secondary objectives include supporting local economic development, increasing roadway safety, and boosting increased bicycle and pedestrian options.

MVC contractors

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is sponsor of the MVC project. Utah Transit Authority co-sponsors the project and assisted in developing the EIS.

.UDOT appointed the Copper Hills Constructors joint venture as the general contractor in a contract worth $106m in September 2009. The joint venture, led by Granite with 45% project share, also includes Kiewit and WW Clyde.

The joint venture is responsible for assisting UDOT in designing, estimating and building the project in south-west Salt Lake County. Construction work on the Utah County side of the project was carried out by Hadco Construction.

Financing

A fund of $500m was allocated by the Utah State Legislature in 2009 for starting the construction work in Salt Lake County. The Transportation Commission has assigned $230m and $130m for Salt Lake County and Utah County respectively.

Mountain View Corridor freeway

The MVC freeway is being built to cope with the projected transportation demand by 2030. In the next 30 years, the combined population of the western Salt Lake County and north-western Utah County is projected to grow by 167%. The region is also likely to see 298% of employment growth and 223% of household growth. These factors will create a huge demand for transportation and transit facilities.

To meet this growing demand, the MVC project will involve building a new freeway to Interstate 80 at the 5800 West roadway in Salt Lake City and Interstate 15 at the 2100 North roadway in Lehi in Utah County. Since the 5600 West roadway in Salt Lake County is connected to both the Mid-Jordan Line in South Jordan and the projected TRAX airport extension, it has been the preferred alternative for a high-capacity service line.

Construction

The first phase of the MVC project in Salt Lake County involves building a 15-mile north section from Redwood Road to 5400 South.

Construction is underway on New Bingham Highway, 8200 south, and 7800 south. The building of bridges is also underway on Dannon Way.

Initially this section was to be ten miles. But due to design changes and low construction costs, it was extended by five miles to the north.

As part of the MVC project in northern Utah County, a three mile road was built to connect Redwood Road to Interstate 15 along 2100 North in Lehi.

A portion of the existing 2100 North roadway was reconstructed, while the remainder was newly constructed. It was built in phases depending upon need and availability of funds. The roadway involved construction of two one-way highways with two lanes in each direction. New bridges were also built over the Jordan River.

The west leg of the 2100 North and 2300 West intersection was excavated and bases for installing new traffic signals were prepared.

The pedestrian walkway at the intersection was removed to make way for new sidewalk.