I-15

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) in the US has completed two major highway projects in the state, I-15 Corridor Expansion (I-15 CORE) and Mountain View Corridor.

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has completed two major highway projects in the US state, the I-15 Corridor Expansion (I-15 CORE) and Mountain View Corridor.

The I-15 CORE involved the reconstruction of 24 miles of road from Lehi to the Spanish Fork, extending the freeway with two lanes, revamping ten interchanges and replacing or rebuilding 63 bridges.

All lanes on the stretch have been open to traffic since 5 November, even though the reconstruction work was only properly completed on 12 December.

In what has now become the biggest roadway project in Utah, $1.73bn was invested in I-15 CORE.

The reconstruction came in at $260m under budget, which was even more than UDOT’s initial estimation of a $230m saving; the state plans to allocate the difference to other road projects.

This project, built completely with state funds, took around 35 months to finish; it was originally slated for completion in 2014.

The department replaced the original asphalt roads with concrete so that it can last for another four decades.

"In what has now become the biggest roadway project in Utah, $1.73bn was invested in I-15 CORE."

I-15 is an important trade route, linking Interstate 84 and seaports in the northwest and stretches north into Canada and south into California and Mexico.

Construction work on the Mountain View Corridor in the western part of Salt Lake County involved a new roadway that runs 15 miles from 16000 South to 5400 South, which will ultimately lead to I-80.

In addition to two lanes in each direction, this corridor features 15 miles of trails, which can be used by walkers and bikers. The department invested $730m on this project.

Image: All lanes on I-15 have been open to traffic since 5 November even though the reconstruction work completed on 12 December. Photo: courtesy of HNTB Corp, (C) Vince Streano.