ST. GEORGE – Traffic on Interstate 15 between mileposts 4 and 5 – the Dixie Drive and Brigham Road exits – will be reduced to single-lane traffic for three nonconsecutive nights starting Monday.
On the first night, road crews working on widening the interstate bridges over the Virgin River will begin to set girders to support the new bridge deck, according to an email update from the Utah Department of Transportation.
“Due to the large area needed for the crane to lift and set these concrete beams, it will be necessary to close both the northbound and southbound inside lanes (closest to the median) of I-15 at the bridge structure,” UDOT officials said in the update.
The times of lane closures, beginning Monday night, are as follows:
- Monday, May 1, from 10 p.m. to Tuesday, May 2, at 6 a.m.
- Wednesday, May 3, from 10 p.m to Thursday, May 4, at 6 a.m.
- Monday, May 8, from 10 p.m. to Tuesday, May 9, at 6 a.m.
Due to the width restriction of lanes at 11 feet, UDOT encourages all drivers traveling through the construction zone to use caution and obey all signage.
Other construction activities currently taking place include:
- Median paving and barrier installation is nearly complete. Once the new bridge deck is constructed, the barrier will be connected to the north and south sections.
- Installation of jet grouted columns on the south side of the river continues.
- Construction of the retaining wall along the frontage road continues.
- Construction activities on the bridge structure over the next month include setting the girders, forming and pouring the deck, curing the deck, paving and installation of median.
Trail closures
A portion of the popular Virgin River Trial that passes through the construction zone has been closed to use. Click on the map featured in this article to view alternative trail routes.
Purpose of the road work
The plan is to add an auxiliary lane in both directions that will allow drivers to enter the freeway and exit at the next interchange without merging with through-traffic or changing lanes – basically just driving straight on through. The new lanes are anticipated to improve traffic flow and enhance safety.
Adding those new lanes will involve demolishing and replacing the narrow bridges over the Virgin River – a process expected to conclude by December.
In addition to providing a third lane of travel, the new bridges will also be able to accommodate the creation of a fourth lane in the future.
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We are all ready for this project to be completed, but recognize it has a few more months to go.
No question that the benefit of improved safety will be worthwhile.
Couple observations:
1. The trail closure during the weekends is a waste of time. Folks are not at risk since there is no activity above them. It has been opened on at least two Saturdays because of organized runs, which was a major benefit. The alternate path by the Pilot Truck Stop is unsafe. Drivers do not respect pedestrians/bicyclists who try to cross the branches of the roundabouts at designated locations……
2. Since the median barrier is almost 100% complete, and the paving has been completed, perhaps the extra width could be utilized south of the Virgin River crossing. This would allow folks to move over and thereby avoid the long lines of cars at the Brigham Rd./Wal-Mart offramp. Seems like we could utilize this on the Southbound side well before the bridge decks are installed…
I wish they would make an off ramp in front of WalMart. There is plenty of room. This would alleviate most of the roundabout traffic. Those roundabouts are a farce. They are too narrow and the radius too small and if you want to go straight to the next round, you have to get to the left lane from the right and stay in the left lane and then have to cross over to the right to get to the next one and doing the same thing again. Whoever designed this intersection should be ashamed.