Project Update

May 16, 2018/0 Comments/in Construction Updates /by pennapowers

A temporary traffic signal is being installed on S.R. 138 for the Midvalley Highway project. The signal will improve safety for all vehicles, providing safe access for haul trucks crossing and turning off S.R. 138. The green light will be steady for vehicles traveling on S.R. 138, and the red light will only be triggered by vehicles on Sheep Lane or those coming from the work site. Crews expect to activate the signal in early February, and it will be in place until the work in the area is complete.
Construction crews are hauling material during the evenings from Grantsville and Stansbury between 6pm and 4am, Monday thru Friday. Crews will also be hauling materials during the day from 7am to 5pm, Monday thru Saturday. Please be aware of these haul trucks and drive with caution.
Drivers can expect shoulder and periodic lane closures over the next several months between mileposts 94 – 96 on east and westbound I-80. Construction traffic will be entering and exiting work areas during the business hours of 7:00am – 5:30pm. Drivers with oversized loads are advised to use caution in this area.
Shoulder and lane closures are being put into place to provide safe access for vehicles hauling roadway material.
Crews have begun placing fill dirt along I-80 where the new interchange will be built. This will need to settle — along with the ground beneath it — to provide a solid foundation for new interchange bridges. This settlement process will likely last through 2020, so most new construction work will take place in 2021 when the interchange work can begin in earnest.

OVERVIEW

To keep Utah moving, UDOT is working with Tooele County to design and construct a new connection to Interstate 80 (I-80) in the middle of the Tooele Valley. This new corridor, known as the Midvalley Highway (S.R. 179), will provide a direct connection from State Route 138 (S.R. 138) to I-80.

The new road will be constructed in phases and is a freeway connecting to SR-138 near Sheep Lane in Erda and into I-80, mile post 94.4, approximately three miles west of the current interchange at Lakepoint.
Phase 1 will include a single lane in each direction built to provide a long-term transportation solution that can scale as future capacity needs and funding are identified.
Construction began in the fall of 2019 and is expected to last two years.

The Midvalley Highway project will use $74.4 million dollars in state funds that cover costs associated with environmental evaluation, design and construction.

PROJECT BENEFITS

The Midvalley Highway is intended to provide Tooele residents with better access to I-80 and alleviate congestion at the S.R. 36 interchange and along S.R. 36. Constructing the Midvalley Highway is part of UDOT’s long-term transportation planning initiative in Tooele County to improve traffic conditions for a growing population. The current phase of the Midvalley Highway will be 4.5 miles in length and will include the following features:

New Interchange at I-80
New two-lane freeway
New intersection at Sheep Lane

TIMELINE

Environmental review and design
2018

Construction Begins
2019

anticipated Completion
2021

PROJECT MAPS

Road Alignment Concept Phase 1

Phase 2 & 3 Concepts

The drawing is conceptual and does not reflect a confirmed alignment.
Phase 2 and 3 are currently unfunded.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

UDOT Tooele County Project PPT UDOT Project Page Toole County EIS (January 3, 2011) Tooele County Transportation Plan

CONTACT

OTHER PROJECTS

Tooele County Project Map

UDOT Tooele Valley Construction Projects