Editors Note: This article was originally published in the April 3, 2024 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
8 miles of Brush Wellman Rd. to be resurfaced; construction set for early May start
A $13.4 million road resurfacing project is set to begin impacting traffic along US 6 in and out of Delta as early as the beginning of May, according to state and local officials.
A Utah Department of Transportation plan years in the making will see milling and repaving take place beginning at the intersection of US 6 and US 50 all the way to the Juab County line, said Kevin Kitchen, a senior communications manager for UDOT Region 4.
An ancillary project is also planned along an 8-mile stretch of Brush Wellman Road to Jones Road.
“We’ll recycle the pavement, put some new pavement in there and overlay that as well,” Kitchen said of the Brush Wellman portion of the project.
Kitchen said the contractor hired to do the work, Hales Sand & Gravel, bid 120 work days for the project, which could take it through the entire summer months.
“What we are hearing is that they will want to begin the first part of May,” he said. “That will take them pretty much through the summer and into early fall and into October to be able to complete the project.”
A tenth of a mile near the intersection of US 6 and State Route 132 will also get an overlay of test pavement.
“I don’t know the specific details, particularly the type of pavement, but they are going to have a tenth of a mile that they will put a little test section of pavement in there to try out some materials and see how they work,” Kitchen said.
The UDOT project will impact traffic only during working hours. Traffic will be allowed uninterrupted during holidays and when construction crews aren’t working. But during work hours, the two-lane roadways will alternate between closing one lane and opening the other for traffic, with delays expected to last as much as 15 minutes.
Kitchen said rules in place will require workers to stop paving if delays stretch beyond 20 minutes.
“We’ll have to be watching those cues to make sure. If they get stretched out too far in their paving and those delays start to happen then they have to back off their paving and make sure people can get through,” he said.
The project coincides with a particularly busy time in the Delta area, with increased traffic due to major construction work at the Intermountain Power Project site.
County officials told the Chronicle Progress they attempted to get UDOT to delay the work, but were not successful.
Sheriff Richard Jacobson said he has been working with UDOT and the county road department for the last few months to assess how the project could impact both traffic along US 6, but also along intersecting county roads.
“We realize it is going to be a burden on folks, but it is what it is,” the sheriff said. “It’s not like this project is all of a sudden going to bring us problems. We are already having problems. This is going to exacerbate that that we are dealing with.”
The sheriff’s office is already fielding more resources tackling traffic issues related to the IPP Renewed construction. He noted one recent morning when a driver was cited for traveling 98 miles per hour along Jones Road. The sheriff said he fears that anxiety-inducing delays will simply express themselves in poorer driving by those traveling to and from work in the area.
“Particularly those who have longer commutes, they are anxious to get home after a long day. Or, they are running a bit late for work and those delays, just due to human nature, can build anxieties that if we don’t safeguard we can drive in ways we shouldn’t,” he said. “That’s just going to come on top of the increase volume of traffic we are already addressing.”
Jacobson urged drivers to be patient and respectful during the construction period.
“Anyone on those byways, we ask that you use extreme patience, tolerance and adherence to the traffic laws. Be respectful to each other. Everyone has their own schedule and it is just as important as anyone else’s,” he said.
