SUGARHOUSE, Utah — A part of I-80 will be closed starting Saturday night.
Both the east and westbound lanes will be closed, from 700 East all the way to Foothill Drive, beginning at 10 p.m. so UDOT can begin the process of replacing the 1700 East bridge over I-80.
UDOT engineers are using what they’re calling ABC, or accelerated bridge construction, to get all this done.
They’re currently constructing the new bridge right next to the existing span and once it’s fully done they will demolish this bridge and then slide the new one into place.
The first part of the project is carefully putting the beams for the new bridge into place and that is what’s happening Saturday night.
The I-80 closure is not expected to last very long and it’s going to happen overnight. But, it will affect your travel plans if you need to be heading east or west on this section of I-80.
“We’re going to be building the new bridge directly adjacent to the old bridge," said Becky Stromness, UDOT Project Manager. "And this allows the local traffic to continue to use the old bridge while we are building a new one so they can keep having access to and from the neighborhoods and schools in the area.”
West and east bound lanes scheduled to reopen by around 11 a.m. Sunday. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by Monday morning at 6 AM.
Officials warned everyone to plan for heavy traffic and possibly long delays.
Alternate routes like the 215 belt route or surface streets like 3300 South reconnect with I-80.
The big payoff happens in the spring when they slide the new bridge into place after demolishing this one. And it’s gonna be pretty sweet with walking and bike lanes on both side of the bridge, allowing pedestrians even easier and safer access to and from schools, parks and neighborhoods in this area.
For more information on the project, go here.
