Bangerter Highway's 4700 South closure set to redirect traffic for a year

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — A traffic closure along Bangerter Highway mid-July will change traffic flow in the area for the next year.

UDOT will shut down east and west traffic at 4700 South starting Friday night.

The year-long closure will prevent drivers from crossing Bangerter at 4700 South.

MORE from UTAH'S GROWING PAINS:

• $466 million Mountain View Corridor project aims to ease traffic in Utah County
  
• Supporters, developer clash over future of Redwood Drive-in at planning commission meeting
  
• Some Moab residents at odds with proposed luxury development along Colorado River
  

UDOT officials said this project will allow crews to safely construct a new freeway-style interchange.

During work, Bangerter will remain open in both directions, but the traffic signal will be permanently removed.

As UDOT’s John Gleason explained, this is the first of more closures coming.

“We have four interchanges that are under construction. One is 2700 South, 13400 South, 9800 South, and then right here at 4700 South," Gleason said. "Work’s already begun on all of these projects, but right now, 4700 South, this is going to be the first east-west road that we’re closing, but we are going to be closing the other east-west roads on those interchange projects as well."

Gleason said the decision to close east and west traffic came down to safety.

“For the first few projects, we kept the east-west roads open. During that, we had a number of crashes that we want to avoid,” he said.

He said 60,000 vehicles travel on Bangerter daily, and that number is only getting bigger.

With the closure planned for a whole year, 2News asked residents how it will impact people living in the area.

Isaac Rush said, “It’s going to affect if I come this side of the Bangerter or not. It kind of comes with living here in Utah that we’re growing. There’s a lot of stuff, infrastructure that has to happen for us to enjoy the things we do.”

Rush said while the closures aren’t ideal, the free-flowing traffic on the highway will be worth it.

Once the closures take effect, UDOT officials recommended both 5400 South and 4100 South for alternate routes.

UDOT officials said local drivers will still be able to turn right onto Bangerter. The closure will only impact east and west traffic.

___