Utahns trying to escape town for Memorial Day weekend are being told to pack patience along with their coolers. State transportation officials say a perfect storm of holiday traffic and lingering canyon construction could tack as much as an extra 90 minutes onto some drives, with Spanish Fork Canyon expected to be the worst of it. Anyone pointing their car toward Moab, Bear Lake, or other hot spots is urged to plan for delays and build in extra travel time.
Most highway projects will temporarily shut down so all lanes can reopen for the rush, but crews will keep working in a two-mile construction zone near Thistle Junction. That stretch will stay narrowed to one lane in each direction to protect the work zone. The Utah Department of Transportation warns that eastbound U.S. 6 from Spanish Fork to Soldier Summit, along with the US-6/US-191 route toward Moab, could see the longest backups, and urges drivers to check conditions before leaving home, according to UDOT.
Where delays will be worst
UDOT’s traffic forecast puts Spanish Fork Canyon at the top of the trouble list. Eastbound U.S. 6 from Spanish Fork to Soldier Summit and southbound US-6/US-191 from Spanish Fork toward Moab could be crawling, with delays potentially stretching to an hour and a half during peak periods. Drivers on I-15 south of Spanish Fork, as well as motorists headed northbound on I-15 between Nephi and Spanish Fork, should also brace for 30 to 40 minutes of extra time in traffic on the busiest travel days. Those projections, along with a rundown of county-level gas prices, were outlined by KSL.
How many people are hitting the road
AAA expects roughly 45 million people across the country to travel at least 50 miles over the Memorial Day stretch, with most of them doing it by car. That kind of nationwide surge helps explain why Utah officials are bracing for packed roads and extended drive times, according to AAA.
Gas and flights
Fuel is not doing anyone any favors either. AAA data show Utah’s average price for a gallon of regular has climbed to about $4.69 this week, the steepest Memorial Day pump price the state has seen since 2022. Prices are not uniform: they tend to be lower along the Wasatch Front and higher in parts of northeastern and southwestern Utah, KSL reports. Over at Salt Lake City International Airport, officials are expecting a packed Friday, with around 28,000 passengers projected to pass through security and a recommendation that domestic travelers arrive at least two hours early.
How to avoid the worst of it
To keep headaches to a minimum, UDOT suggests steering clear of peak hours when possible, checking real-time traffic on its 511 website or apps, and budgeting plenty of extra time for canyon segments and active construction zones. The agency is also reminding motorists to stay off their phones, maintain safe following distances in stop-and-go traffic, and look at alternate routes where they make sense, according to UDOT. For those catching flights, the advice is similar: expect longer waits for parking and TSA screening and leave wider gaps between connecting flights.
Travelers heading into high-use recreation hubs like Moab or Bear Lake should also anticipate slow-moving traffic near park entrances and exits, especially during prime arrival and departure windows. Shifting your drive to a different time of day or a less popular travel day could make the trip a lot less painful. For a deeper look at holiday travel patterns and forecasts nationwide, check AAA's holiday release before you hit the road.
