Daily Herald | Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:00 pm
It's not a facelift, really. If you think of Interstate 15 as a face, the work being done this weekend is more of a freshener, like a shot of Botox.
Nile Easton, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation, said the work on the bridges over 920 South and 600 South in Provo are getting a polymer overlay that is put on all bridges after two years of life. The epoxy coating, which adds about half an inch to the bridge, seals the bridge deck and prevents snow, ice and salt water from causing damage to the structure.
"Essentially it extends the life of the bridge," he said.
The job will take three days, with crews working throughout the night to reduce the inconvenience to travelers and to make the construction work safer. I-15 will be down to one lane in each direction between those streets from 10 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday and from 11 p.m. Saturday to noon Sunday. Traffic will be down to two lanes during the rest of the day Saturday and for the rest of the afternoon Sunday.
The $276,000 project sounds like a hassle for travelers, but Easton said the late-night work means fewer people will be on the interstate, thus traffic will not be hindered much.
"We did similar things last year in different locations, and it wasn't too bad at all," he said.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D2.