Construction begins on southern portion of Mountain View Corridor

(South Valley Journal) After more than seven years of planning, construction on Salt Lake Valley portion of the Mountain View Corridor is finally getting underway. Construction will begin on a 15-mile segment of the corridor between 5400 South and approximately 16000 South along 5000 West in late spring. A segment in Utah County (2100 North from Redwood Road to I-15) is already under construction.

"We're phasing construction by building what we need right now; then gradually expanding [the road] over time and as funding is available," Mountain View Corridor Project Spokesperson David Smith said. "Our vision is to address the short term regional transportation needs while providing long term solutions for the future."

To do this, project planners have divided the project into two phases.

The first phase includes building the outside lanes in both directions with intersections that will eventually serve as onramps. The 15-mile project in Salt Lake County will cost $730 million and is due to be completed in 2013. The Utah Legislature allocated $500 million during the last legislative session and the Transportation Commission allocated $230 million for the Salt Lake County portion of the project.

The second phase, which is designed to address the anticipated transportation demands in 2030, will finish out the corridor by adding middle lanes and interchanges to achieve a fully functional freeway, Smith said. Until the second phase begins, the outside lanes will handle all the traffic along the corridor.

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