SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 20, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Department of Transportation announced Friday that two new U.S. Highway 89 interchanges in Layton at Gordon Avenue and Oak Hills Drive will open as early as Sunday night.
At the same time, a new three-mile extension of Gordon Avenue will open, providing a new east-west connection between Interstate 15 and U.S. Highway 89, said a news release from UDOT.
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and Layton Mayor Joy Petro joined UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras Friday morning to celebrate the opening of the new interchanges and road extension. The Gordon Avenue extension was designed and built in close cooperation with Layton City as an integral part of the city’s Layton Forward long-term development plan to bring commercial, residential and retail services closer to the local community, the news release said.
“This is a transformative project that will enhance the quality of life for residents here in eastern Davis County,” Braceras said. “We have now removed stoplights from four intersections along the highway, which will decrease the likelihood of crashes, improve travel times, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. We’re making it easier for people to get where they want to go.”
These new interchanges aim to improve traffic flow, spur economic growth and provide more options for walking and biking, the news release said.
Drivers should plan ahead for lane restrictions on U.S. 89 this weekend as crews work to open the new interchanges. U.S. 89 will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Antelope Drive and 400 North from tonight at 7 p.m. until Monday, Aug. 23, at 5:30 a.m. Oak Hills Drive will also be closed at U.S. Highway 89 during this time.
The Gordon Avenue and Oak Hills Drive interchanges are the second and third interchanges to open on U.S. Highway 89 this month. They were preceded by the 400 North interchange, which opened Aug. 2. Work on the U.S. 89 project will now shift to the fourth and final interchange at Antelope Drive and new bridges at Nicholls Road and Crestwood Road.
Crews are also widening U.S. 89 to three lanes in each direction and replacing the existing asphalt with brand new pavement.
