SALT LAKE CITY — Starting Monday, September 22, the Utah Department of Transportation will be permanently restricting the size of vehicles allowed to travel in Ogden Canyon. Beginning on Monday, only vehicles no longer than 50 feet will be allowed to pass through.
UDOT says the restriction is one of several safety measures that they are implementing along State Route 39, where five people have died since 2015.
Officials say that UDOT engineers recently completed a technical analysis of the canyon, with a particular focus on a section known locally as "The Narrows." The study modeled movements of large trucks through the canyon, and engineers discovered that vehicles over a length of 50 feet cannot travel through some sections, including The Narrows, without encroaching on opposite lanes.
“This is the right thing to do,” UDOT Region One Senior Communications Manager Mitch Shaw said. “It’s up to us to create the best engineering solutions possible to help keep people safe. But this won’t prevent every crash. We need the public to help out, too.”
In addition to the size restrictions being put into place, UDOT will also reduce the speed limit to 35 miles per hour in The Narrows and install radar speed feedback signs.
“We really need people to pay attention, slow down and put down the distractions, especially when driving in the canyon,” Shaw said.
