Reynosa is a reporter for KSL-TV. She has more than a decade of experience covering news for various outlets across the country.
SOUTH JORDAN — Drivers along Bangerter Highway can expect a smoother commute starting Friday. The Utah Department of Transportation said motorists will save about eight minutes thanks to the completion of four new interchanges — and a pedestrian bridge designed to keep local students safe.
The three-year project removed stoplights from I-15 in Draper to 4100 South in Taylorsville, creating a free-flowing highway. Stoplights have been eliminated from the following interchanges: 4700 South 9800 South 13400 South 2700 West The price tag? $415.3 million. But UDOT leaders said you can't put a price on safety."Students are top of mind for us. Their safety is paramount to UDOT. And so this pedestrian structure that you see behind me is really the safest way that we have to cross any of our roads," Robert Stewart, UDOT region two director, said.Stewart said the pedestrian bridge was prioritized early in the project."UDOT and their contracting partners actually prioritized getting that bridge in place first, so that we could get the students across the construction site and the road safely and first," he said.Celebration for safer roadsStudents from Elk Meadows Elementary School and Elk Ridge Middle School joined state and local leaders for a morning of celebration. They cheered as UDOT crews removed the last orange cones, marking the end of this phase. Families enjoyed games, food and hands-on activities about construction and city planning."The parents were patient, and so was the school district," Sen. Daniel McCay said. "Honestly, the orange cones are never anybody's favorite time of the year. But the one thing that's great is when they're removed and just how much better traffic is flowing."What's next for Bangerter Highway?UDOT said more than 60,000 vehicles use Bangerter Highway daily. And while this phase is complete, work isn't over."We're not done. We got to go from 4100 South now all the way to California Avenue," Stewart said. "We've got funding identified from 4100 South to Parkway Boulevard, and we hope to get that launched soon."Construction could begin in the spring or summer of 2027. For now, drivers can enjoy 17 miles of stoplight-free travel — and hopefully, a less stressful commute.This story was adapted from a TV broadcast script using artificial intelligence. Every story, including those adapted with AI, is reviewed by a human editor before publication to ensure that KSL.com's editoria
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