AASHTO Journal - Utah DOT Completes US-6 Safety Improvement Project

The Utah Department of Transportation recently completed safety upgrades along approximately four miles of U. S. Highway 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon and is now starting construction on two related projects to significantly improve safety and traffic flow in the area.

[Above photo by Utah DOT]

Since last summer, Utah DOT crews have installed more than 9,000 feet of median barrier and added six new drainage systems near Diamond Fork Road. These improvements help reduce the severity of crashes and improve driving conditions during storms by better managing water, ice, and debris, the agency said.

Additionally, crash attenuators – energy-absorbing cushions placed at the ends of median barriers that wrap around a driver upon impact – were also installed as part of the project, Utah DOT noted; devices that absorb the force of a crash, helping slow vehicles and reduce the risk of serious injuries.

Other recent safety enhancements include adjusted speed limits and new “Prepare to Stop” warning signs near Center Street and US-6 in Spanish Fork.

In the coming weeks, the agency said its work crews will begin installing 29 new overhead light poles to improve nighttime visibility through the canyon.

“This stretch of US-6 is squarely on our radar,” noted Rob Clayton, Utah DOT Region Three director, in a statement. “These upgrades, and the additional projects now underway, reflect a long-term commitment to tackling known safety risks and reducing serious crashes in the canyon.”

Building on those efforts, two major construction projects begun this year and expected to wrap up in 2027 will continue Utah DOT’s long-term safety improvements along US-6.

The first is a $53.4 million project that will widen US-6 from two lanes to four, add a center median barrier, flatten steep curves and improve the intersection at Sheep Creek Road.

The second one, pegged to start later this spring, will improve the US-6 and US-89 intersection in Thistle. That project will create longer acceleration and deceleration lanes and separate traffic by constructing a bridge that allows US-89 traffic to pass underneath.

Over the past two decades, Utah DOT said it has invested heavily in improving safety along US-6 and will continue to prioritize future upgrades.

More than $110 million is currently programmed for near-term safety improvements between Spanish Fork and Helper, along with nearly $20 million for pavement preservation projects between Wellington and I-70, the agency added.