Cost of I-15, Bangerter Highway projects rises by $38 million

The Salt Lake Tribune ^ | December 15, 2018 | Lee Davidson

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The Utah Transportation Commission on Friday approved spending an extra $38 million to cover rising costs for two major upcoming highway projects — on Interstate 15 and Bangerter Highway in Salt Lake County. The increased expenses are caused in part by rising prices to buy and demolish homes and businesses to clear new rights of way.

That includes an extra $23 million for a project to convert three more intersections on Bangerter Highway into freeway-like interchanges at 6200 South, 10400 South and 12600 South.

Construction on those projects is scheduled to begin in 2020, but purchasing the needed rights of way is ongoing now. The estimated price tag now is $182 million.

Utah Department of Transportation officials told the commission that experience with building several other new Bangerter interchanges recently led them to re-evaluate and increase projected costs for obtaining new rights of way on the corridor.

The commission also approved spending $15 million extra on a project to widen northbound Interstate 15 between Bangerter Highway in Draper and Interstate 215 in Midvale — also because of higher-than-expected costs to obtain rights of way, plus projected increases in labor and material costs.

The lane-widening is now a $165 million project, and is scheduled to begin next year.

Buying homes to allow that I-15 project has been causing controversy.

As reported earlier this week, Midvale residents complain that dozens of boarded-up, vacant homes left by UDOT have been attracting squatters, drug use, vandalism and graffiti.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Full title:

Cost of I-15, Bangerter Highway projects rises by $38 million — thanks to expensive rights of way

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING.

[Vigilanteman]

What a sorry waste of what was once some of the best orchards in America!

[hadaclueonce]

Deep state shovel ready.
Budget?
We don’t need no stinking budget!

[NEMDF]

Seems like Bangerter has always been under construction or improvement, every time we have gone to SLC. Very expensive upgrades coming, per the article. Traffic there seems very heavy, from our experience, even later into the evenings, way past “rush hour”.

[1Old Pro]

On the subject of road infrastructure, can roads get any worse? All the money seems to be diverted to welfare programs and other non related state expenditures.

I want government to take care of borders and roads and security as a priority.

[nuke_road_warrior]

Not unusual for Utah. My Great Uncle had a peach orchard in Riverdale (Just outside Ogden). He grew the most delicious peaches I ever tasted. When I-15 was initially built in the sixties they could have located the route a few miles west with minimal impact on farms an orchards. Instead, the went right through Uncle's orchard, and may other farms and businesses were destroyed as well.

[zlala]

My uncle had orchards & farm land right up to Willard Bay (N of Ogden). I remember as a child DOT pulling the trees out & grading the road in prep for I-15 in the 60s. My family lived in S California & drove up to Willard several times a years for decades. I never remember a time there wasn’t construction 🚧 somewhere on 15 through Utah. Even now.

[utax]

“Following Nevada and Idaho for the largest percentage increases in population were Utah (1.9 percent), Arizona (1.7 percent), and Florida and Washington (1.5 percent each).”

[nuke_road_warrior]

Yup and Yup. Your uncle must not have bribed any politicians. The fruit growers north of Brigham City kept the interstate delayed for years so they could sell fruit from roadside stands for as long as possible.