Eagle Mountain drivers may soon notice added convenience during rush hour traffic.
The lengthening of the left turn lane at the intersection of westbound Pony Express Pkwy. and Ranches Pkwy. is scheduled to begin July 25.
The intersection regularly reports traffic back-ups due to the high volume of vehicles waiting to turn left onto northbound Ranches Pkwy., particularly during rush hour.
Chris Trusty, Eagle Mountain City engineer, says that not only are such back-ups inconvenient, but they also present safety concerns.
“It would be considered a safety hazard because of the back-up that [it has],” says Trusty. “Cars may not always realize that the car in front of them is going to stop in the through lane because they’re trying to get over to turn left.”
Beginning July 25, crews will work to lengthen the left-turn lane by 180 ft., bringing its total length to 340 ft. By lengthening the lane, City engineers hope to mitigate back-ups at the intersection.
Trusty says that lengthening the left-turn lane on eastbound Pony Express Pkwy. should alleviate some of the safety concerns.
According to Trusty, the turn lane expansion work is part of a larger project to improve four intersections throughout the city. The total project budget for the four intersections is about $2 million. The budget for the Pony Express Pkwy. and Ranches Pkwy. intersection improvements is a small portion of that, estimated at $110,000.
“We wanted to do it as part of a [large] project because it’s such a small project,” says Trusty. “We decided to include this as part of our signal package…We get better prices if it’s part of a larger project.”
Throughout the duration of construction, one lane will be closed in both directions on Pony Express Pkwy. Residents are encouraged to find alternate routes to help alleviate traffic congestion during the construction period.
Work is anticipated for completion prior to Aug. 15 to ensure a smooth flow of traffic for the beginning of the school year on Aug. 16.
Residents who have questions about the lengthening of the left-turn lane or the intersection improvement project can reach out to Engineer-in-training Bryce McRae at bmcrae@emcity.org.
