ST. GEORGE — The city of St. George is getting a new pedestrian tunnel running under Bluff Street just south of the Main Street intersection. Construction is slated to begin this month with a closure of South Bluff Street between Main Street and the Interstate 15 off-ramps slated for mid-June.
The project will be facilitated by the Utah Department of Transportation and the city of St. George. And both city and state road officials say the project is intended to help improve pedestrian safety and congestion at the busy intersection of Main Street and Bluff Street.
“We’re hoping this will be a win-win,” Kevin Kitchen, a UDOT spokesman, told St. George News on Monday.
Heavy equipment and the like will begin to appear on either side of Bluff Street south of the Main Street intersection starting this Monday, with work on the tunnel beginning June 13, which is when the roadway will be closed between Main Street and the off-ramps.
The I-15 southbound off-ramp will remain open to eastbound traffic but will be closed to westbound traffic. Drivers should plan ahead and follow the signed detour routes during the closure.
The detours will lead to the Dixie Drive-I-15 interchange by way of Black Ridge Drive and Crosby Way via East Riverside Drive.
The closure is estimated to last two weeks while the tunnel is built, said Charice Walker, region project communications manager for UDOT.
While the whole of the project is slated to run through September, she said, UDOT is aiming to get the part with the heaviest impact on traffic out of the way first, which is the tunnel.
The tunnel itself will connect the east and west sides of the Hilton Drive Trail and provide a way for pedestrians and cyclists to safely bypass the increasingly busy Main-Bluff Street intersection. In addition to the safety factor, it will also increase the connectivity of the trail system in that part of the city.
“We have a lot of pedestrians and cyclists who travel through that area,” Walker said. “We’re always trying to make things safer.”
As the project commences, Walker also asks that motorists be cautious and attentive around the construction zone.
“We appreciate people being patient with us,” she said. “And please pay attention in those parts of the road.”
The cost of the project is estimated to run $3 million, which is split between UDOT and the city of St. George.
The tunnel project originally was meant to start in December 2021, Walker said, but due to supply chain problems, “key components needed for the tunnel did not arrive on time.”
For more information on the project, including a detour map, visit the UDOT’s South Bluff Street tunnel project website.
A map detailing the general location of a new tunnel running under south Bluff Street that is being built by the UDOT in partnership with the city of St. George | Map courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News Map of the detours for road work to be done for a pedestrian tunnel running under south Bluff Street. Work starts June 13 on this part of the project and is anticipated to two two weeks to conclude | Map courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News The segment of South Bluff Street leading up to the I-15 on- and off-ramps. This portion of the road will be closed between the off-ramps and Main Street for around two weeks starting June 13 for the construction of a pedestrian tunnel beneath the roadway, St. George, Utah, May 31, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News On South Bluff Street looking north toward the intersection with Main Street, St. George, Utah, May 31, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News A man crosses Bluff Street at the intersection of Main Street. Nearby a new pedestrian tunnel will be built starting June 13 that will allow walkers and cyclists to bypass what is becoming an increasingly busy and potentially dangerous intersection, St. George, Utah, May 31, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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