UDOT

Crews are building median barriers, improving lighting and fixing drainage 

This summer, the Utah Department of Transportation is making safety improvements along U.S. Route 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon.

Starting Friday, Aug. 15 at 7 a.m., both directions of US-6 from Diamond Fork Road to the U.S. Route 89 junction in Thistle will be reduced to one lane through December. This will allow crews to install several concrete median barriers, improve overhead lighting and fix drainage systems in the area. 

This safety project is estimated to wrap up by the end of the year. 

For approximately two decades, the state Legislature and Utah Transportation Commission have worked to increase funding for projects along US-6, allocating more than $148 million to widen lanes, install median barriers, enhance intersections, add curve warning signs and implement other safety and capacity improvements. 

While these projects have significantly reduced the number of crashes, still more work lies ahead. UDOT ultimately envisions US-6 as a four-lane highway. 

“US-6 is a critical route for so many Utahns, and these improvements are about making every trip safer,” UDOT Region 3 Deputy Director Boyd Humpherys said. “This project is part of our long-term effort to reduce crashes and protect lives by adding new median barriers, improving lighting, and upgrading drainage systems. We’re using the best available data to guide our work and plan for even more improvements ahead.”

In addition to this summer’s safety project, several other projects to improve US-6 are in the design phase. These projects, which total to $113.2 million, will: 

• Widen US-6 to five lanes from Chicken Hollow to Tie Fork
• Create a grade separation of the US-6 and US-89 intersection at Thistle Junction
• Widen US-6 and add a median barrier near Soldier Summit
• Improve several intersections along US-6 in the Spring Glen area