BOUNTIFUL, Utah -- Soon a snarled intersection will be running smoothly thanks to a unique design. It’s what construction crews are calling a "continuous flow" intersection.
Drivers getting on the freeway at 2600 South in Bountiful will see the new intersection Saturday morning and Utah Department of Transportation personnel want drivers to be ready for the changes.
"This is really going to cut down on some of the delays in this intersection... The 2600 South in Bountiful,” UDOT Spokesman John Gleason said.
Saturday morning, motorists will have their first drive through the new, modified continuous flow intersection. UDOT says the goal of the unique design is to clear congestion by making it easier for drivers to get on the freeway.
"That's typically where we have all the delays, especially in the morning a lot of westbound traffic that's getting onto the freeway that's coming into Salt Lake and that's what we're trying to alleviate here," Gleason said.
Through an animation, UDOT gives Utahns a test drive to see how the new intersection works as if you were traveling westbound on 2600 South going onto southbound I-15. But instead of a regular left turn lane, the traffic crosses the oncoming flow of vehicles a bit earlier. UDOT says crossing over sooner means drivers only stop one time and then have free access to the on-ramp, allowing green lights to last longer at other areas of the intersection.
Although it’s the first of its kind in Davis County, it’s not totally foreign to Utah drivers. Bangerter Highway has several of the intersections and UDOT says the design works great.
Drivers in Bountiful are happy to see the construction finally finished.
“It's been horrible, it's been miserable, sometimes it takes us 30 minutes to get through this intersection,” said Joe Sanders of Bountiful.
"This has been about a year and a half now that this has been going on, so hopefully it will be better though because there was a lot of traffic jams before they did all the remodeling," said Breanne Sherman of Bountiful.
And, they hope drivers learn to navigate the new intersection quickly.
"I'm excited, but I also know that not everyone is the best drivers around here, so I kind of expect accidents but we'll see how well it goes," Sherman said.
UDOT says there are still a few finishing touches needed before they open the intersection and to expect lane closures on 2600 South Friday night.
