13400 South construction bid awarded

Currently, orange construction cones block the westward flow of traffic along 13400 South off Bangerter Highway in Riverton as utility relocation and other preparations take place to once again increase the number of lanes on the road.

Construction is scheduled to begin in February, now that a contractor has been selected. Wadsworth Brothers Construction, based out of Draper, won the bid for the widening project, at the cost of $10 million. Their bid was selected from a pool of six contractors total.

The road was expanded from one lane in each direction to five lanes in 2007 in order to temporarily relieve traffic congestion between Riverton and Herriman, but according to Riverton Assistant City Manager Jeff Hawker, the need for further widening is still present.

“At the western end of 13400 South is the growing city of Herriman, which eventually is projected several years down the road to have something like 80,000 residents,” he said. “Between 13400 South and 12600 South, those are really the only ways in and out of Herriman. For the purpose of serving that growing population … the road was basically widened to five lanes in this area, but it was also a temporary solution to the problem.”

According to Hawker, one of the biggest issues existing in the current five-lane road is the uneven base, which still includes dips, rises and elevation changes. The widening of the road will take care of such issues, as well as eliminate most of the need for future construction.

“It’s a concrete road which is significant because that has a much longer life than asphalt,” Hawker said. “Basically, the idea, the design and everything, is that this will be adequate through the year 2030. There will be significant inconvenience through next year, but after that’s done, there shouldn’t need to be any major projects until 2030. It’s a very forward looking project.”

Trace Robinson, Riverton City engineer, said forward looking is exactly what is needed, considering the increase in traffic over the past few years.

“In 2007, there were about 17,000 vehicles a day on 13400 South,” he said. “Right now, we’re at about 30,000, so we’ve almost doubled in a four-year period … We were lucky enough to get some federal funding and that’s why what’s happening out there now is happening.”

The project will be funded mainly through federal funds, with the help of the Utah Department of Transportation and the Wasatch Front Regional Council, leaving only a local match of 6.25 percent for the city to cover.

Another major project planned to improve traffic flow at 13400 South and Bangerter is the installation of a Continuous Flow Intersection similar to the one constructed at 11600 South and Bangerter.

The CFI is projected to cost around $7 million, and construction on this project will also be supported by federal funding. Work is scheduled to begin soon after the widening is complete. The main goal of the CFI is to allow for easier access between lanes at the intersection, while also providing safer access to pedestrians near the roadway.

Riverton City Mayor Bill Applegarth discussed the planned results of both the widening and the CFI in a recent public release.

“When the project is finished later in the year,” he said, “you will be able to drive on a new, all-concrete road in the project area that has been widened to seven lanes from the existing five, has two new full intersections, has a new sidewalk along the entire length of the south side of the road, and is lit with street lights from end to end.”

Though Hawker said it’s difficult to know exactly when the projects will be completed, he said the city is hoping to finish by this fall.