The project, which UDOT anticipates starting as early as Monday, will implement flex lanes. The system aims to ease congestion for drivers during peak travel times by adjusting lane configurations based on traffic flow.

Once completed, Pioneer Crossing will have three lanes in each direction plus a center turning lane, which will shift during rush hour to provide four lanes of travel in the direction with the most demand.

UDOT says during morning rush hour, when traffic is heaviest heading eastbound, flex lanes can be adjusted to provide up to four lanes for eastbound travel from Redwood Road to I-15. 

In the evening when traffic is heaviest heading westbound, flex lanes can be adjusted to provide up to four lanes for commuters traveling from I-15 to Redwood Road.

Outside of rush hour traffic, the flex lanes will be adjusted to provide three lanes in each direction.

Drivers will follow overhead signs indicating when to use the center turning lane, with green arrows signaling to proceed and red Xs indicating to avoid it.

UDOT says the move is part of a broader effort to alleviate traffic congestion in northwest Utah County, where population growth has led to a higher volume of cars on the road.

In the case of Pioneer Crossing, the arterial roadway connects commuters east to west between the Lehi/American Fork border and Saratoga Springs.

Wyatt Woolley, UDOT Region 3 senior communications manager, told the Daily Herald in April that Pioneer Crossing has well exceeded the amount of traffic it was initially intended to serve.

Pioneer Crossing was built in the late 2000s; at the time, UDOT says it was meant to accommodate around 32,000 cars daily. Woolley said it currently averages just under 60,000 cars a day.

UDOT says the project will take about a year to complete.

Drivers commuting along Pioneer Crossing may encounter impacts during construction.

Lanes will be shifted as crews conduct median and shoulder work to make way for the flex lane system.

Two lanes will remain open during the day and rush hours, but closures will take place at night and off-peak times. UDOT says much of the work will happen at night to limit the number of daytime traffic disruptions.

UDOT says construction is expected to last through late 2026.