Latest news with #SpaghettiBowl
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What's Driving You Crazy? – Replacing obsolete freeway signs
LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) – The Nevada Dept of Transportation is making progress replacing hundreds of obsolete freeway signs around Las Vegas. It was months ago that the maps on your phone showed US95 was renamed to include I-11, dropping I-515. That was the easy part. The work of replacing actual signs is a much longer process. While many have been changed, NDOT has a lot more to go, focusing this week around the Spaghetti Bowl. To minimize disruptions to traffic, the work is being done between 9pm and 5am. Tonight it'll be the southbound freeway with reduced lanes between Valley View and Rancho, as well as the northbound side for that short stretch from Las Vegas Blvd up to the Spaghetti Bowl. To see the list of all this week's work, click – – – > HERE. Buckle up, drive carefully – and, please put down that phone! You're welcome to join the 'Driving You Crazy' conversation at: traffic8@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How UDOT uses ultrasonic testing methods on Utah bridges
SALT LAKE CITY () — The Utah Department of Transportation inspected one of Salt Lake's 'Spaghetti Bowl' bridges with ultrasonic testing Sunday. According to UDOT, the bridge connects northbound I-215 to westbound I-80 and was built in 1985. The ultrasonic technology used a transducer to transmit high-frequency sound waves into difficult-to-see parts, such as bridge pins, to search for damage, deterioration, or any other potential safety concerns. Missing 14-year-old snowmobiler found after overnight search along Utah-Idaho border Jason Klimek, a bridge inspector with the UDOT structures division, said bridge pins are typically on bridges with more used routes, such as state and interstate highways. He said they are also on bigger bridges or those that experience heavier traffic. Klimek said there were no irregularities found with this bridge, but if in situations where there are, extra personnel will come to take a closer look at the bridge to determine further action. UDOT Bridge Management engineer Becky Nix said ultrasonic testing is not part of the standard inspection process, but is utilized in 'specialty situations to evaluate critical bridge elements.' 'We want everyone to know that when they are driving on one of our bridges, they are going to be safe,' Nix said. Usually, inspections include detailed data collection, such as written and photo documentation, and ranking scales. Nix said that ultrasonic testing, LiDAR (eye-safe laser beams), ground penetrating radar, or infrared thermography are utilized occasionally to gather further information on a bridge's condition. These standards are set and evaluated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration. According to a press release, UDOT bridge inspection crews use these standards for biennial inspections of more than 3,000 state and locally owned bridges. 'We complete 150-160 bridge inspections per month,' Nix said. 'It's a busy schedule but this data is so valuable. They help to ensure public safety and help prioritize future projects. We're constantly collecting data so that we can make smarter, safer decisions for the state's infrastructure.' In January, an inspection of the on SR-18 found 'critical defects that needed to be addressed right away,' causing repairs to begin on Saturday morning. While the construction is an inconvenience for town members, UDOT said the repairs are essential to keep the bridge safe. 'Safety is important on the road. We think of all the safety aspects like not speeding, not driving recklessly, and slowing down when conditions are poor, but the infrastructure itself needs to be in good shape for us to be able to travel safely as well,' Klimek said. 'As you're driving along, it's one of those things that's out of your own control, but we try and bring the control to it by inspecting things and making sure things are safe.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Crazy' winter conditions help UDOT fill potholes, complete other road work early
With a high of 69 degrees Fahrenheit, Salt Lake City broke a daily high-temperature record for the third straight day on Tuesday. This week's unseasonably warm temperatures have also had an unlikely benefit for state roads. Utah Department of Transportation crews, which are normally out in snowplows looking to clear out roads from the latest snowstorm, have been instead working on filling potholes and completing other tasks normally reserved for the springtime. UDOT officials said state crews filled 78 potholes along I-80 and I-15 on Sunday alone, and they plan to fill in more by the 'Spaghetti Bowl' that links both freeways and state Route 201 together in Salt Lake County before the next storm rolls in. 'No matter what the weather is, we're always out here working. There are still plenty of activities to take care of,' said Shawn Lambert, director of maintenance for UDOT, in a statement on Tuesday. UDOT officials added that its Grantsville maintenance crews were working to seal cracks along the state Route 196 near Dugway Proving Ground, while its Echo maintenance shed crew was working to clear debris from drains. Other springlike maintenance work was also planned for areas typically fighting snowfall at this point in the year. 'It's a lot easier on us to be out here working in the cool weather than in the summer heat,' said Shane Lazenby, UDOT's Grantsville shed supervisor. All of it comes not just with the record-breaking warmth this week but low snowfall totals this season. Salt Lake City, for example, has only received 6.3 inches of snowfall this winter, putting it on track for one of its lowest collections since the National Weather Service began tracking its weather in 1874. That's been the case for valleys across the state. Alex DeSmet, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Salt Lake City office, explained last month that most precipitation-heavy storms have been too warm for valley snow, while colder systems haven't produced much precipitation this winter. That was also the case last week. While it's given UDOT a head start on this spring's workload, Lambert said crews are also prepared for wrinkles in Utah's constantly unpredictable weather. 'It's kind of a crazy year with much less snow than usual, but it can change on a dime here,' he said.
