UDOT working to improve line visibility along Wasatch Front

SALT LAKE CITY — Snow and rain expected in Utah’s forecast is bringing back a concern for drivers about seeing the lines on the road. The Utah Department of Transportation has been working on improving line visibility along the Wasatch Front the last the last year and a half, but how much do they have left?

KSL TV spoke with UDOT to find out where drivers can see those improvements next.

State road crews told KSL TV that they’ve been working on improving the lines since last summer. They said they’ve restriped over 1,000 miles of road this year alone, and that work is going to keep going. Drivers told KSL TV it’s been needed.

“When it’s raining or snowing it’s hard to tell when to merge and how far I am into the lines,” Sophia Baily, a Holladay resident, said.

“You can’t make out where they are, where there’s transitions,” Andrew Muse, a Park City resident, said.

“It’s pretty hard, you have to be paying attention,” Creed O’Shea, a Holladay resident, said.

To improve line visibility, UDOT has been repainting parts of Interstate 15, Interstate 215, Interstate 80 and State Route 201 with contrast striping, a white line followed by a black line, to make them easier to see on rainy and snowy days.

“Everyone wants to feel safe on the roads, and we want to make sure that they can see where they’re going,” John Gleason, UDOT Public Relations Director, said.

UDOT said drivers will most notice the work done on I-15 in Utah County. This week, crews are repainting lanes to some bridges on I-80 West, will pause for the winter, then come springtime focus on I-15 in Davis County, complete more parts of Salt Lake County, and keep going year after year.

“The legislature has given us an additional $6 million every year on top of what we usually do for maintenance to make sure that that striping is where it needs to be,” Gleason said.

That’s welcome news to drivers.

“I definitely notice it, when I can see the lines better,” Baily said.

“I think it helps, yeah for sure,” O’Shea said.

“Anything to improve vehicle safety, you know, driver safety,” Muse said.

Here’s the list of areas UDOT provided to KSL TV, where crews plan to keep repainting the lines next Spring:

• UDOT crews will pick up where they left off on Interstate 80;
• The east end of State Route 201, working around the 3200 West project;
• Mountain View Corridor;
• Bangerter Highway;
• Interstate 15 in Davis County;
• Highway 40 in Park City and Heber;
• Interstate 80 in Tooele
• Interstate 80 from Park City to Coalville
• State Route 92 from Lehi to Highland
• Highway 189 in Provo Canyon