Article and photos by Scott Limpus
Commuting on the 330 will require some extra patience for the foreseeable future. On-going construction projects have begun to make necessary repairs to ensure motorist’s safety. Coming up from Highland, the first sign of the roadwork is just before the lower City Creek bridge. Crews will be repaving sections of the highway just above and below the bridge. The work is scheduled to be completed by Wednesday, May 15th. There is no information on if or when the rest of the 330 will be repaved.
Just north of the lower bridge, the next construction project might be the most impactful to commuters. Repairs to the upper City Creek bridge requires the two-lane road to be narrowed to one lane. Due to the length of the project, traffic signals are being installed this week. Instead of waiting for a pilot car, upbound traffic will wait at a red light below the project while downbound traffic, who have been given a green light, crosses the bridge. Once the traffic has cleared, the downbound traffic will stop at a red light just above the bridge and allow upbound traffic to cross. This process will continue when crews are not actively working on the bridge, or when the work does not require intermittent closure of the highway. Motorists can expect to wait extended periods of time for the signal in their direction to turn green when there is high traffic volume traveling in the opposite direction.
Near Mile Marker 39, another long-term project has been going on for a couple of weeks and is scheduled to last for a few more months. Contractors are repairing and replacing culverts that were damaged during the winter storms. Most of the work is being completed on the shoulder so there will be little impact to commuters. However, extra caution should be used in the area as construction vehicles will be entering and exiting the turnouts.
The last project currently underway on the 330 is below the upper passing lane. CalTrans has a turnout closed for repairs. Again, most of the work is taking place on the shoulder, but construction vehicles can enter or exit the work area at any time. Please Slow For The Cone Zone.
