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UDOT says South Cedar interchange design at 30%; property outreach, noise study and roundabout option planned
Summary
Utah Department of Transportation told the Cedar City Council the South Cedar interchange project has completed environmental review, is at roughly 30% design and will begin property acquisition and public outreach. Councilors pressed for coordination with local traffic signals and raised questions about timing and funding.
The Utah Department of Transportation told the Cedar City Council on June 4 that the South Cedar interchange project has completed environmental review and advanced to roughly 30% design, allowing formal right‑of‑way work and property outreach to begin.
Devin Skwar, with UDOT, said the design team is filling in three‑dimensional geometry, testing queue lengths and storage and examining improvements requested during the environmental phase. “We have completed the environmental process, and that means that we can start the design. We can start acquiring the property that we need to build this,” Skwar said.
The project is designed as a single‑point urban interchange (SPUI) with a single signal in the center of the interchange. UDOT said the layout moves many turning movements to the center signal to handle projected traffic through 2050 and beyond. The design team will also evaluate a roundabout at the Maverik/McBet area and possible U‑turn improvements at Royal Hunt to help local access across median islands.
UDOT staff said federal contracting delays pushed the schedule back and that the project is being coordinated with an I‑15 widening project. Skwar told the council the third lane on northbound I‑15 will come up to the bottom of the interchange and that this interchange project will extend that lane farther north; construction of I‑15 widening is slated to begin June 17 and take about two years. UDOT staff said the interchange project is expected to be advertised in the fall of 2026 and would take roughly two years to build once awarded.
Council members pressed UDOT on funding and coordination. “Money is secure,” Skwar said, acknowledging earlier federal pauses but confirming the grant for this project remains available. He said UDOT will coordinate signal timing with the city’s Public Works department so local signals operate in concert with the new interchange.
UDOT outlined near‑term steps: outreach to property owners in the coming weeks, full acquisitions targeted first for specific parcels (the Lighthouse, a dental office, Jack in the Box and Sports Clips), partial takes at other parcels (the former gas station likely a strip take), geotechnical drilling to address collapsible soils and a formal noise study for residences adjacent to the freeway. Skwar said a sound wall could be included if the study supports it and if affected residents do not veto that mitigation.
Skwar also noted UDOT’s public engagement plan: a project website is live (search “South Cedar interchange” on UDOT’s input portal), and a UDOT public‑relations team will staff community events this summer to explain design refinements and timing.
A final technical note for the council: UDOT said design review of connecting city streets will require city approval before UDOT moves forward on those local elements. The council agreed staff and UDOT should coordinate on signal timing and final local street design.
UDOT will return with design updates and right‑of‑way notices as acquisition work begins. Council members asked staff to ensure property owners receive direct notice and to keep the council updated on any significant budget or schedule changes.
