New passing lane to improve safety near Lehi :: The Daily Herald :: Your town. Your neighbors. Your newspaper.: "SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Cars crept past the Four Corners development Tuesday as workers in bright, orange vests placed concrete barriers on the shoulder of State Road 73.
The two-lane road that serves as the main thoroughfare between Lehi and Cedar Valley could be more congested than usual for the next few months as Utah Department of Transportation adds a one-mile long westbound passing lane between the junction of Redwood Road and the gravel pit two miles to the west.
But UDOT officials hope once the construction is done, the road will be safer to travel, said Geoffrey Dupaix, UDOT spokesperson.
Also included in the project will be about a one-mile turning lane along S.R. 73 between 800 West and Redwood Road. The total cost of the project will be about $800,000, Dupaix said.
Construction will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and will continue through the middle of November.
Part of the problem with traffic in the area has included large trucks, many times carrying loads of gravel, traveling up the about five percent-grade hill with no way to let other cars pass, Dupaix said.
'The purpose of a passing lane is to allow the slower moving vehicles to move to the right so the remaining traffic can pass. It's meant to improve the safety of the roadway,' he said.
With an asphalt plant and several gravel pits in the area, along with a large number of trucks carrying gravel and construction material for development of subdivisions and businesses in the city, the number of trucks on the road can be dangerous without a way for cars to pass, said Saratoga Springs Mayor Timothy Parker.
'Trucks are heavy and will not be able to"