Utah’s first commuter lanes — part of Timpanogos Highway — will open on Saturday, and the state is encouraging residents to give it a practice run before Monday morning rush hour.

What are commuter lanes? Four miles of signal-free lanes running east and west alongside the newly expanded highway, designed to directly connect people from Alpine, Cedar Hills, Highland and Lehi to the freeway faster. The commuter lanes pass over or under Timpanogos Highway intersections so drivers do not have to stop at signals. The speed limit on the commuter lanes is 55 mph, which is 5 miles faster than the mainline road. Commuter lanes are not express lanes and are open to any driver.

The concept was created when local officials weighed in on the design, saying they wanted both direct freeway access and general access to businesses and homes, Heather Barnum of UDOT said.

“What we came up with is a win-win,” she said. The commuter lanes start at Highland Boulevard and end just east of the freeway.

“They are called commuter lanes, but they are really open to anyone. There is no toll, no limit to the number of passengers in the vehicle, trucks are allowed, and they are open all the time, not just commute times,” Barnum said. “It really will save drivers time and the hassle of having to stop at signals along the way.”

The lanes will open to the public at about 4 a.m. Saturday, and Barnum said UDOT hopes the public will take some time this weekend to familiarize themselves with the new road.

“We want people to understand where the curves are and get familiar not only with what a commuter lane is, but the actual layout, so you can drive safely and save yourself time come Monday morning,” she said.

Saturday also marks a milestone for the construction project because all lanes will now be open, speed limits will be back to normal and most orange barrels will be gone.

“This will no longer be an active construction zone, but drivers will see some intermittent possible nighttime lane closures, not significant or inconvenient,” she said.

Those closures will only happen between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

“This project has had some delays because of some quality issues discovered through our ongoing inspection process,” Barnum said. “We can assure drivers they do now meet those quality and safety standards.”

To watch a video of how the commuter lanes work, visit www.udot.utah.gov/sr92.