Project Overview
The U.S. 89 project will improve safety and mobility on U.S. 89 and at connections with local cross streets by widening U.S. 89 to three lanes in each direction; adding interchanges – bridges over U.S. 89 with on/off-ramps – at 200 North/400 North, Oak Hills Drive, Gordon Avenue and Antelope Drive; and adding bridges over U.S. 89 at Nicholls Road and Crestwood Road. The project will also improve connections between U.S. 89 and Main Street, S.R.193 and Interstate 84. Some sections of new frontage road will be constructed to improve access to existing frontage roads and local streets. This will help local traffic access the new interchanges and crossings efficiently. The frontage road system will also function as a signed bicycle route.
What work is currently being done?
Visit the “Construction Impacts” page for up to date impacts by area.
What traffic restrictions should I expect during construction?
The project team is committed to keeping two lanes open in both directions on U.S. 89 during the morning and evening commute. Occasional weekday lane closures are possible. Work is expected to take place during the day and at night. Impacts to traffic will take place during nights and weekends, when U.S. 89 will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Access from side streets to and from U.S. 89 will be maintained, but access points may shift as work occurs. We will be posting regular updates about construction-related traffic restrictions on the U.S. 89 website and Facebook page.
What sound walls are planned/will I get a sound wall?
The project noise study was updated in spring 2019 to reflect the revised design with U.S. 89 crossing under the local streets. While most of the noise walls shown in earlier project phases remain in the design, a few no longer qualify. In some locations on the project we saw that when the grade of U.S. 89 was lowered, the noise fell below the policy threshold. In other locations, less people were affected, which meant that the overall cost of the wall fell outside the allowable range. Noise wall balloting was completed at the end of February 2020. All of the qualifying noise walls were approved. . Click here to view a graphic detailing the wall locations. Noise wall ballots were sent to affected residents and property owners in mid-January. View a video explaining the UDOT noise policy here.
What is being done to address the project’s impact on wildlife?
The SES identified several wildlife species that are native to the area and could be impacted by construction, or by the project once it is completed. UDOT coordinated with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to identify their preferred approach to reducing conflicts between wildlife and vehicles on the roadway. DWR requested that 6’-8’ tall deer fencing be installed along the east side of U.S. 89 where other walls or fencing are not planned.
What is being done about the faded or confusing lane markings?
UDOT and Oak Hills Constructors are working together to keep traffic moving on U.S. 89 and minimize delays during construction. As a result, lanes are being shifted throughout the project while crews demolish the existing pavement and build the new interchanges and permanent travel lanes. Weather permitting, crews will be refreshing pavement markings as need, but as this is an active construction zone, drivers will need to be alert, slow down and pay attention to their surroundings when traveling through the project area.
How does the project team manage dust?
The U.S. 89 project will move over 1.5 million cubic yards of earth around the project area during the project. That is enough to fill Disney’s Epcot Center 20 times over. This can be dusty work, but the project is implementing environmental controls to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements. Environmental controls can include street sweepers, water trucks, and erosion controls like silt fence, rock track-out pads, and storm drain inlet protection. We have multiple water trucks working to reduce dust across the project area with hourly trips. It is a fine balance between keeping the dust down and making mud, which can also be tracked out onto the roadway and turn into a superfine dust. Our goal is to keep the dust to a minimum while still moving the earth needed to build the project. These activities will continue as the weather continues to be hot and dry.
What kind of street lights will be installed as part of this project?
UDOT is planning to install dark-sky compliant lighting in the medians approaching each interchange and at the intersections where the off-ramps meet the side streets to comply with highway safety regulations. These lights are designed to shine down on the road and minimize light pollution for nearby residents.
How will the project accommodate bicycles and pedestrians?
During design, UDOT coordinated with the cities to create signed parallel bike routes to U.S. 89. Relocation of these bicycle facilities to the frontage roads aligns with the city-wide approaches to bike routes. U.S. 89 will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists in March 2020 for safety since work is now underway. Cyclists are encouraged to cross U.S. 89 at signalized intersections and use parallel routes for north/south travel. Click here to view the nearest parallel route.
Pedestrian access will be maintained at the existing signalized intersections during construction. When complete, the new bridges and interchanges will include sidewalks and pedestrian crossings over the frontage roads. The project is also adding sidewalk along the frontage roads.
What about the U.S. 89/Interstate 84 area?
The U.S. 89 project will add a “free right”- a right-turn lane where drivers are not required to stop or merge into another lane– from eastbound I-84 to southbound U.S. 89. The project will replace the substructure of both bridges, which have reached the end of their service life. These structural improvements are needed in the shorter term, while UDOT’s new environmental study just under way will investigate the appropriate potential interchange improvements.
Funds were recently allocated by the Utah Transportation Commission to begin an environmental study for the U.S. 89/I-84 Interchange. This will put construction out a few years. For more information on this please visit the I-84 and US-89 Concept Study. This study identifies several short- and long-term options to address traffic flow between South Weber and South Ogden.
Why was the change made to have U.S. 89 go under the cross streets, instead of over them?
During the U.S. 89 State Environmental Study (SES), the project team received consistent feedback from nearby residents that their preference was for the highway to go underneath the cross streets. As part of the commitments made during the SES, the project team formed a Community Coordination Team (CCT) to provide input on the project. Based on input from the public and the CCT, and after conducting further engineering and on-site data gathering, the project team was able to find a cost effective and less impactful way to take U.S. 89 under the local streets.
Making this change reduces the visual impacts of the project’s walls and bridges. In addition, this change makes use of the existing topography in the project area, and will result in a savings of 85,000 truck trips during construction.
Why is this project needed?
Northern Davis and southern Weber counties have changed, transitioning from rural/agricultural to more residential suburban and commercial uses. Continued and projected growth is leading to increased travel demand on Davis County’s north-south routes. Currently, U.S. 89 between I-15 and I-84 is experiencing heavy traffic congestion and increased delay times.
Traffic models predict that by 2040, if U.S. 89 is left in its current configuration, the traffic volume will increase by 43%, from 37,700 to 54,000 vehicles per day. In addition, a high number of crashes are occurring that are related to speed and lane changes associated with traffic congestion. The frequency of crashes involving wildlife along this corridor is also high.
The U.S. 89: Farmington to Interstate 84 project will improve U.S. Highway 89 by addressing current and future congestion, the high crash rating and additional growth in this part of the Wasatch Front. This project reflects UDOT’s commitment to keep traffic moving now and in the future.
How will the project improve traffic flow?
Currently, U.S. 89 operates using a series of traffic signals at many of the intersections. The signals are intended to maintain some access between local streets and U.S. 89 or provide access across the highway. Due to increasing traffic volumes, these intersections have become the cause of significant traffic congestion in recent years. This congestion also exists for cross traffic moving east-west. By separating the cross-streets and taking U.S. 89 under, vehicles are able to move more freely and at consistent speeds. These grade-separated crossings will also improve access over or between side streets and U.S. 89. In addition, eliminating traffic signals improves safety by reducing the risk of accidents.
How will the project improve safety on the corridor?
Crash rate data shows that replacing intersections with grade-separated interchanges reduces the frequency and severity of accidents. Recent statistics show that the crash rate on a road like U.S. 89 with traffic signals is 4.5 times higher than with interchanges. The rate of severe crashes is also 3.5 times higher. By removing signalized intersections and replacing them with grade-separated interchanges, the number of possible vehicle conflicts decreases substantially, resulting in fewer accidents.
How is UDOT delivering this project?
On a typical project, once the environmental study is completed, a design team will refine the concepts and develop plans detailed enough that a contractor can build them. This is where more in-depth investigation takes place to locate utilities; adjust elevations, curves, and widths; and determine optimal designs for interchanges and other features. We also ensure that the public input we received during the environmental phase is considered in design. Once the design is determined, UDOT will then select a contractor to construct the project.
In order to approach the U.S. 89 project from a right fit perspective, UDOT engaged a contractor and design team – Oak Hills Constructors – earlier in the process so that public input, contractor expertise and cost can be assessed and incorporated into the project design. This delivery method, called Progressive Design-Build, allows for a more context-sensitive solution to be developed. Learn more about the ways UDOT delivers projects in this graphic.
How can I stay updated on the U.S. 89 project?
You can request to be added to the project email updates and contact list by clicking here or emailing US89@utah.gov or call us at 888-752-US89 (888-752-8789).You can also join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/US89DavisCounty/.