Residents of Summit Park have likely noticed something invisible to most I-80 travelers: a big construction project is underway beneath the bridge.

In late March the Utah Department of Transportation began a bridge replacement project on the overpass that allows traffic access to the neighborhood.

According to UDOT spokesman Adan Carillo, the work is part of the larger Renovate I-80 initiative to improve the roadway between Salt Lake City and the Wyoming state line. After finishing major work along the Salt Lake City corridor, bridges were replaced near Mountain Dell and Lamb’s Canyon in 2008.

Now UDOT is working on the Summit County phase.

The current work is expected to be complete by September and will use the same model as in Parley’s Canyon, called Accelerated Bridge Construction, Carillo explained. The new bridge is built next to the existing structure, and then on a Sunday, or other low-traffic day, the old bridge is demolished and the new one is slid into place and secured.

The replacements in Parley’s Canyon took less than 24 hours each once the construction work was done.

Right now the crews at Parley’s Summit are building temporary retaining walls and relocating lighting to begin building the replacement bridge, he said. The exact day of the replacement is undecided, but will be well publicized a few weeks prior, he added.

During the switch, the on- and off-ramps will be used to divert traffic, so delays should be minimal, Carillo said.

According to UDOT, Renovate I-80 work is also scheduled for other parts of the county. This spring and summer, UDOT will replace the Atkinson Canyon Bridge in Silver Creek near the Rail Trail and the “sister bridges” at the I-80 and I-84 Junction along the Weber River near Echo.

Also this summer, resurfacing will take place between Summit Park and Kimball Junction, additional cable barriers will be added to 13 locations between Kimball Junction and the Wyoming state line, and an additional east-bound lane will be added to I-80 near Lamb’s Canyon.


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