The UDOT I-15 Pages Lane to 2600 South project was a challenging night project in one of the busiest sections of I-15 in Utah. Located in Davis County between Centerville and North Salt Lake, this five-lane, six-ramp and three-mile section of I-15 has an HOV lane and hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.

UDOT selected a 2-inch mill and 2-inch SMA overlay as the wearing surface treatment, and Granite Construction, Inc. paved approximately 18,100 tons of SMA. Work times varied depending on lane closures. The HOV lane could only be closed a seven-night maximum for the milling and paving operations, and traffic was not allowed on the milled surface. The ramps could only be closed once during the project.

UDOT used epoxy paint on this project because it should have a longer life than typical water-based paints used previously. The epoxy paint was grooved into the new SMA surface to prevent wear and damage by the plows that hit this area hard in the winter.

Granite Construction, Inc. had 55 calendar days to mill 191,602 square yards, place over 21,000 tons of SMA, apply all the thermoplastic messages in the HOV lane, and apply the epoxy paint. The project was completed early, and Granite Construction, Inc. received incentives for early completion, gradation, asphalt content, density, and smoothness.

It was a long two months of frequent seven-night work weeks with thunderstorms that came and went almost nightly. Trucking was a constant struggle; the construction industry has many large projects that have stretched the state’s trucking power very thin. However, the project’s result is a beautiful and durable section of roadway that will last the state for years to come despite wear from commuters and plows.