I-80 interchange at 5600 West to close over the weekend
Oct 15, 2021, 5:42 PM | Updated: 8:52 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Drivers have been encouraged to plan ahead as the 5600 West Interchange at Interstate 80 will be closed over the weekend in Salt Lake City.
The closure goes into effect beginning at 8 p.m. Friday.
“This section from I-80 to SR-201 is just constant trucks as you can see,” said John Montoya, a project manager for the Utah Department of Transportation. “It’s non-stop trucking.”
UDOT crews are giving it a major overhaul to help traffic flow better.
Over the weekend, they’ll convert the interchange into what’s called a diverging diamond interchange.
“The purpose of the diverging diamond interchange is to save one of the phases of the light so that people aren’t waiting so long,” said Montoya.
UDOT figures the weekend is the best time to do it with fewer cars on the roads.
I-80 will remain open, however, 5600 West will be closed in both directions, along with the on- and off-ramps at the interchange.
“We just really need to do everything we can to get the most out of this interchange by squeezing as much traffic as quickly as we can and efficiently as we can,” said Montoya.
Some alternate routes you can take are SR-201, Bangerter Highway, 7200 West and Wright Brothers Drive.
Crews said they’re excited to unveil the new interchange by 5 a.m. Monday.