UDOT closed the west side of the bridge, which will soon be demolished, reducing the roadway to one lane in each direction. Southbound traffic was backed up to the University Avenue and 300 West intersection Monday afternoon as vehicles merged into one lane.

The closures mark phase one of UDOT’s traffic plan for the two-year bridge project. Provo city said Monday to expect delays of up to 10 minutes when crossing the bridge. UDOT suggests alternate routes, including entering and exiting Interstate 15 at the Center Street exit instead of University Avenue, or taking Lakeview Parkway to State Street.

UDOT Region 3 spokesperson Wyatt Woolley said two left-turn lanes were added on Lakeview Parkway for traffic going northbound on State Street. Those lanes will remain in place for the next two years during construction.

“If I lived in Spanish Fork and I knew I was going to work in north Provo, I would go on Lakeview, go all the way over to State Street and up and around. I would just avoid going across any railroad crossing or going across the bridge,” Woolley said.

The Utah Transit Authority is rerouting UVX and routes 805, 821, 823, 831 and 850 due to construction. All stops on University Avenue between 300 South and East Bay Boulevard are closed, while temporary stops were added at 920 S. and 100 West.

Pedestrians and cyclists are not allowed on or beneath the bridge during construction and are asked to use the Provo pedestrian bridge over the train station as a detour.

Woolley said crews are working on utility infrastructure and that demolition of the bridge deck will begin in two weeks, but that demolition of over the railroad tracks won’t  UDOT has a limited window to remove the bridge to avoid conflicts with Amtrak and Union Pacific trains that pass on the railroads below.

In other county transportation news, Woolley said UDOT closed the Alpine Loop for the season Monday.