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- The West Davis Highway expansion is set to begin next year, extending 2.5 miles northward.
- Rapid growth in Davis County is a key reason for the expansion, to alleviate congestion.
- The project will include four lanes and improvements for pedestrians, with major construction expected from 2026 to 2028.
SALT LAKE CITY — The West Davis Highway has been open for just over a year now, and UDOT officials are already looking forward to another expansion.
Officials at the Utah Department of Transportation are pleased with the improvements they have seen on I-15 over the past year thanks to the new highway.
"Right now, about 28,000 vehicles are using it every day," said UDOT spokesperson Mitch Shaw. "So (at) that new 16-mile stretch, we've got 28,000 vehicles, and that's a significant number. If you can just picture 28,000 cars that would have otherwise been on I-15."
The original plans for the West Davis Highway were to extend to 1800 North in West Point. However, due to funding issues, they were unable to complete the expansion, ending the highway where it is currently at SR-193.
Last week, UDOT completed a revised environmental study to continue the expansion.
"We're looking at basically extending the road two and a half miles to the north. It would be the same thing of what West Davis is like right now, so it would be four lanes. Two lanes going northbound and two lanes going southbound," said Shaw.
Funding has been approved for the extension.
Why expand the West Davis Highway?
Rapid growth in Davis County is a main reason for the expansion of the highway.
"We're still growing really fast and we've got to have the infrastructure out there so people can maintain their quality of life and they can get to where they need to go and not be stuck in congestion," said Shaw.
He added, "A ton of growth [has been] happening out west in the communities in northern Davis County and southern Davis County. That's why we built Legacy Parkway years ago, and that's why we built the first phase of the West Davis Highway."
The expansion will include more than just driving lanes.
The project includes improving travel for pedestrians, such as an extension of Immigrant Trail and a pedestrian bridge at SR-193.
"For our transportation system to continue to function into the future, we have to take a multi-faceted approach where … when we do build a road, we have an active transportation component with it," said Shaw. "That's kind of where UDOT's focus is shifting and people will see more of that in the future."
An extensive trail system was included in the initial construction of the West Davis Highway.
Engineers are now making tweaks to the final design of the expansion. Once it is approved, construction will begin. Major construction is expected to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2028.
