UDOT says US‑189 Provo viaduct will be rebuilt starting this fall; project to keep limited lanes open

The Utah Department of Transportation on May 2025 told the Transportation Mobility Advisory Committee (TMAC) that the US‑189 bridge in Provo will be fully rebuilt in a two‑stage, roughly two‑year construction sequence and that the contractor on board is Wadsworth Brothers.

UDOT project manager Andy Spencer said the agency "anticipate[s] 2 years for the full construction," with work expected to begin in the fall (September–October window) after utility relocations and railroad and other permits are obtained. UDOT staff said the work will be phased so one side of the bridge is rebuilt while traffic is shifted to the other side to maintain mobility.

The project team described key design elements and local betterments: two full travel lanes in each direction, wide sidewalks intended to function as multi‑use paths, a separated bike facility where space allows, ornamental (non‑chain‑link) fencing above the railroad tracks, a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall to eliminate hazardous backslopes, and replacement of asphalt with concrete deck and approaches. Jenny Snyder, UDOT public information, said the sidewalk will be wide enough to "function as a multi use path" for people on bikes or in wheelchairs who do not feel safe in the roadway.

Nut graf: The reconstruction replaces a roughly 60‑year‑old structure that UDOT determined had reached the end of its useful life. The committee focused on construction timing, traffic management, emergency vehicle access and railroad coordination — issues TMAC members said are critical for downtown Provo businesses, BYU students and emergency response routing.

UDOT and the project design team (Kurt McDonald, design project manager; David Gill, resident engineer; Wyatt Woolley, public involvement) told TMAC the contractor must obtain permits from Union Pacific and UTA and complete utility relocations before full on‑site impacts begin. The team said they are holding lead‑up work now (permitting, utility coordination) and will publish a specific start date once the contractor finalizes the schedule.

Traffic and emergency access: Committee members pressed UDOT on whether train parking across Freedom and single‑lane bridge operations would hinder ambulances or fire apparatus. David Gill said UDOT "talk[s] to [the railroad]" but cautioned the railroad may not commit to not parking trains, and that emergencies will take priority. UDOT said it will plan alternate routes and encourage truck traffic to use Lakeview Parkway and other official trucking routes; the agency also plans weekly messaging to trucking carriers and outreach to the Utah Trucking Association.

Communications and public outreach: UDOT said it is building a contact database and that project updates and detour maps will be published on the project website; staff also plan a "Meet the Contractor" night before major impacts to allow the public to review construction phasing and ask questions. The team said they will provide regular email updates and coordinate with BYU and local institutions to reach out‑of‑town visitors.

Maintenance and winter operations: UDOT and city staff discussed snow‑clearing responsibilities. UDOT noted that sidewalk clearing typically falls to the city and that equipment availability and maintenance constraints influenced some design choices (for example, bike lane width and placement relative to curb and gutter).

What remains undecided: UDOT said it examined separation barriers between bike lanes and travel lanes but did not select an isolated barrier as the preferred option; it also declined requests for custom decorative signage or murals after noting statewide consistency and previous requests. The exact construction start date and detailed daily phasing remain subject to the contractor's permit and schedule processes.

Ending: UDOT staff encouraged residents to sign up for the project mailing list on the project website and said they will share specifics — including exact start dates and the public open house schedule — once the contractor's schedule is finalized.