Travelers who frequent Parleys Canyon should brace for significant delays due to road work, as the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) executes its overnight lane striping project. UDOT announced that starting Monday, Sept. 8, from 11 p.m. until Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 4 a.m., eastbound I-80 near Parleys Canyon will be closed, according to UDOT. Motorists will need to follow a detour via southbound Interstate 215 to 3300 South and then return to eastbound I-80.
Concurrently, on the same night, the UDOT crew is set to also work farther up the canyon, near the Mountain Dell Golf Course, extending to just before Kimball Junction, reducing I-80 to a single lane. There's another project set to quickly follow, installing rumble strips around the I-80 and US-40 interchange, which will further impact traffic in this area.
Following these operations, another shutdown will occur on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 11 p.m., continuing through to Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 4 a.m. This time, the westbound side of I-80 at Exit 130 to 2600 East will be off-limits. Drivers will be rerouted to southbound I-215 and then to 3300 South, where traffic signal timing adjustments will be made to facilitate the return to westbound I-80.
The series of closures is essential for workers to install new "tiger tail" or contrast striping, which is a combination of white and black lines designed to markedly improve visibility. This striping is not only beneficial for human eyes but is also advantageous for the sensors and cameras of autonomous vehicles, aiming to bolster roadway safety, as per UDOT.
