New traffic pattern shift set for Bluff Street as work continues

Crews place new asphalt for Thursday night traffic switch, St. George, Utah, July 2018 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Another shift in the traffic flow on Bluff Street through the Sunset Boulevard intersection is taking place overnight Thursday with a new pattern in place Friday morning.


UPDATE Aug. 3, 1:30 p.m. UDOT announced Friday morning that the traffic pattern charge wouldn’t be implemented until Friday evening due to rains that occured the night prior.


Traffic will shift to new Bluff Street lanes at the intersection, according to a project email update from the Utah Department of Transportation.

The temporary traffic signals at Diagonal Street will be relocated to Sunset Boulevard. The speed limit through the area, as well as the overall Bluff Street project, is 30 mph.

“Exercise caution when traveling through this new alignment and carefully follow all traffic control,” UDOT officials advised in the email.

A map of the traffic pattern at the Bluff Street and Sunset Boulevard intersection. | Graphic courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News

The temporary “T” intersection is operational near Diagonal Street and Bluff Street. All movements in the “T” intersection are controlled with temporary signals except traffic traveling from eastbound Sunset Boulevard to southbound Bluff Street. This traffic movement is a through lane with no stopping.

On Bluff Street from 100 South to 700 North, all lanes of travel have been shifted to the west side of the Bluff Street corridor. There is one lane in each direction with a center turn lane. Traffic will be in this configuration until the end of September.

Diagonal Street at 700 West is closed until September. There is a right turn lane from Bluff Street onto Diagonal Street and no right turn access from Diagonal Street to northbound Bluff Street.

Work schedule

Crews work from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some night and weekend work as the project continues.

The Bluff Street widening project is slated to conclude in the fall and was reported to be 40 percent complete by mid-June.

Alternative routes

Individuals who generally use the Sunset Boulevard to Bluff Street to St. George Boulevard corridor as their primary east-west route through town may want to consider Dixie Drive or Valley View Drive connecting to Sunset Boulevard, or Red Hills Parkway connecting to Snow Canyon Parkway as alternate travel routes.

Top: The former traffic configuration of the Bluff Street-Sunset Boulevard intersection. Bottom: The intersection configuration designed to help traffic flow access Sunset Boulevard more easily without as much traffic backup. | Image courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News | Click image to enlarge

Road widening and improvements

  • Upgrading and improving all utilities that are buried in the current roadway, including storm drain, culinary water, sewer, fiber optics, gas, electrical and an upgraded advanced traffic-management system.
  • Increasing capacity with additional northbound and southbound lanes from 100 South to 1250 North through this heavily traveled section of road.
  • Reconfiguring the intersection at Sunset Boulevard and Bluff Street to improve safety, traffic flow and handle projected traffic increases.
  • Adding a dedicated right-turn lane from westbound St. George Boulevard to northbound Bluff Street to improve safety and mobility.

State and city road planners have said for years that improvements to northern Bluff Street are needed to better handle current and future congestion that accompany the area’s continuing growth.

Bluff Street carries over 44,000 vehicles every day, with that number expected to climb to 65,000 by 2040 as the population increases from over 150,000 to around 321,000.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • Carpe Diem August 7, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    100K, 200K, 300K, can we make that an even Gazillion new people?

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