[s.p.hansen]

UDOT: 500 South is finished

WOODS CROSS — After more than two years of construction, the 500 South project is finished.

The Utah Department of Transportation announced this week that the project is substantially complete and fully functional for motorists.

As part of the project, UDOT reconstructed 500 South from Redwood Road to I-15, making it a five-lane roadway with two lanes in each direction and a center lane.

Additional improvements include 12-foot shoulders to accommodate street parking, bike lanes, a raised median with several openings in select business locations, sidewalk, parkstrip and landscaping.

The state also corrected some drainage problems along the corridor and made some safety improvements to the FrontRunner and Union Pacific rail crossing in the area.

UDOT Region One spokesman Vic Saunders said the only remaining work to be done on the road is mostly cosmetic.

"Most of the work within the roadway is done," he said. "There are still a few items left before it’s completely finished, but the road is functional and ready to be used."

Once the Legacy Parkway was finished in September 2008, it brought congestion to 500 South, making it difficult for residents in Woods Cross and West Bountiful to access the new road.

During the same year, the Utah Transit Authority built a FrontRunner Park and Ride lot on the road, causing even more congestion on the major east/west arterial.

Saunders said the new construction will improve future mobility in the area, alleviate congestion and provide safer access to and from properties along the corridor.

"When Legacy opened, there was a great deal more traffic in that area," he said. "And for Legacy to work properly, you’ve got to have east/west routes that are flowing smoothly and get you there quickly. This project was a part of that."

The project was delayed in 2008 because of funding uncertainties but received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds that allowed it to continue.

Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/topics/const...south-finished

This segment of 500 S. runs from the Legacy Parkway to I-15. It is also the terminus of Redwood Road. With how wide this road is and how relatively unpopulated the area is, this would be a great street to drag race on after mid-night.