(Photo: Paul Nelson)
TAYLORSVILLE – People on Salt Lake County’s west side could see some big traffic headaches on a very busy intersection. Starting tonight, 6200 South will be shut down by the Bangerter Highway, and it won’t open back up for a week.
The construction project beginning Wednesday night is just an “opening act” for an even bigger project set to start next Spring. Crews are converting the intersection of 6200 South and Bangerter into a traditional offramp to make it appear more like a freeway. They’ll also be converting the ramp at 10400 South and 12600 South.
“Any time you can take a stoplight off of Bangerter, you not only improve safety but you also help improve the flow of traffic,” according to UDOT Spokesman John Gleason.
However, before they can do any construction on 6200, they have to deal with one big problem.
“It’s a 78-inch water line that services much of Salt Lake County,” he says.
Since this pipe provides water to so many people, Gleason says they need to use a lot of finesse to replace it.
He says, “It’s important work. It’s critical that we get it right. We’re rebuilding the water line so there’s going to be brand new pipe that goes through there.”
The shutdown is scheduled to start nine p.m. Wednesday night and will last until five a.m. the following Wednesday. Gleason says this could have serious impacts on other nearby roads.
“Anyone who generally uses 6200 South west of Bangerter Highway is either going to have to use 5400 or 7000 South,” he says.