Photo courtesy of UDOT
The Utah Department of Transportation, state officials and contruction crews celebrated the opening of the new West Davis Highway, a 16-mi., four-lane divided highway designed to improve access to and from western Davis County.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) celebrated the opening of all lanes on the new 16-mi. West Davis Highway with a community fun run/walk/bike event.
Crews and residents had an opportunity to see the benefits of the largest construction project in the state — valued at $750 million — with a community-filled occasion. More than 2,500 people joined elected officials and UDOT representatives on the 2-mi. event on the project's new road and trails.
The project was constructed by Farmington Bay Constructors, a joint venture of three companies: Ames Construction, Wadsworth Brothers Construction and Staker Parson Materials and Construction. Ames is a noted earth-moving company, according to Rex Harris, UDOT project manager.
When construction began in May 2021, UDOT officials estimated that all lanes of the new highway (SR 177) would be open by summer 2024. That timeline was shortened because of the diligent work of contractors working on the project and the new West Davis Highway opened several months early.
Photo courtesy of Rep Paul Cutler
"There has been a concerted effort to open up this new highway as soon as possible because we know it will immediately make a huge difference in people's lives," UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras said. "People need different options to get where they want to go in the way they want to get there, and this project represents our commitment to accomplishing this mission."
"Farmington Bay Constructors Joint Venture, with Ames Construction as the managing partner, began construction of the four-lane divided highway in 2021," Ames Construction said in a statement. "Designed to relieve congestion in one of the fastest growing areas of the country, the project involved construction of new northbound and southbound lanes, five freeway-style interchanges, 21 roadway bridges and four pedestrian bridges. The corridor stretches from I-15 in Centerville City to SR 193 in Syracuse City."
The West Davis Highway is a 16-mi., four-lane divided highway designed to improve access to and from western Davis County. The highway runs from I-15 near Glovers Lane in Farmington to the future extension of S.R. 193 and 4500 West in West Point.
The West Davis Highway is expected to reduce delays by more than 30 percent on local roads west of I-15. Six new interchanges have been built to connect to I-15 and local roads:
- I-15/Legacy Parkway in Farmington;
- 950 North in Farmington;
- 200 North in Kaysville;
- 2700 West in Layton;
- 2000 West in Syracuse;
- Antelope Drive in Syracuse;
In order to move people as well as vehicles, West Davis also has added nearly 10 mi. of new trails and now connects several existing regional trails, such as the Emigration Trail with the Legacy Parkway Trail. These new trails provide additional opportunities for recreation users as well as bicycle commuters, helping them get where they want to go.
Much of the material for the project came from gravel pits at the base of the mountains where the rocky granular material is more suitable than the clays existing on the project site.
"We had another project that is closer to the mountains, U.S. 89, that we're doing a lot of construction on turning it into a freeway facility," Harris said. "It's in a more rocky area and it's an export job so they have excess material that needs to come off the project. We worked out a deal to acquire 800,000 yards to come off that project."
Photo courtesy of UDOT
The project, located along the Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains, came with several challenges, including a "finite" amount of land to work with. Much of that land is environmentally sensitive and also saw a great deal of new home construction.
UDOT worked with numerous government agencies, as well as homeowners, over nine years to come up with an alignment that met UDOT's purpose and needs while at the same time minimizing the impacts to both the "bugs and bunnies, residents and homeowners."
Another issue contractors encountered was that the project site was actually once submerged beneath the Great Salt Lake, which means the soil, largely clay, is soft and pressable.
The project also is preserving 1,100 acres of wetlands near the Great Salt Lake to help safeguard the environment.
The West Davis Highway is one of several projects planned to upgrade the transportation system in northern Utah to meet current and future needs. This is especially important because the number of homes in Davis and Weber counties is expected to increase by 65 percent by 2040.
Finish work on the West Davis Highway will continue into the summer with occasional lane closures while crews complete weather-dependent tasks like additional paving, seeding and other punch list items.
A future phase is planned to extend the highway to 1800 North in West Point. Long-term transportation plans detail extending the West Davis Highway through Weber County and connecting back to I-15. An environmental study to extend West Davis to 1800 North in West Point will begin in spring of 2024.
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