Road work on three bridges in the Virgin River Gorge complete

ST. GEORGE — The latest in a series of road projects on Interstate 15 through the Virgin River George stretching back to 2014 recently concluded, according to Arizona transportation officials.

I-15 Bridge no. 6 in the Virgin River Gorge as seen in late 2014 as crews worked to renovate and upgrade it, Mohave County, Arizona, circa December 2014 | Photo courtesy of the Arizona Department of Transportation, St. George News

The latest road work on Bridges no. 2, no. 4 and no. 5 within the gorge, which began in April 2019, is complete and all road restrictions have been lifted, according to a press release the Arizona Department of Transportation issued Tuesday.

Work on Bridges no. 2 and no. 5 had their decks resurfaced while Bridge. no. 4 received a new deck. Work on Bridges no. 3, no. 6 and no. 7 was done prior to the other three.

Crews plan to return to lay down permanent striping on the bridges within the next week, so drivers should expect some minor delays while that work is completed.

Work on the bridges overall has been part of a major upgrade program on the highway bridges on I-15 stretching back to 2014. The bridges, originally constructed in the 1970s, needed to be rebuilt, reinforced and upgraded overall to the deal with the volume of traffic that has increased over the years.

The Interstate 15 Bridge no. 1 as seen from Little Jamaica. Future work on the bridge, as well as ongoing safety concerns, have prompted the Arizona Department of Transportation to dismantle the site, Beaver Dam, Ariz., Nov. 9, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

The latest round of roadwork is estimated to have run $6.4 million.

As a part of the project, ADOT used a first-of-its-kind queue warning system that included portable message boards informing drivers of stop-and-go traffic ahead. Using equipment that detects traffic in real-time, the system is designed to help reduce collisions as traffic builds.

As construction was taking place, it was noted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety last September that over 40 crashes attributed to rear-end collisions occurred in or around bridge construction zones. Motorists were said to either not be paying attention to the road or were driving too fast.

Though road work in the gorge has concluded for the time being, ADOT will return early next year to begin rehabilitation work on Bridge no. 1, which passes though the communities of Beaver Dam and Littlefield, Arizona.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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