Traffic shift marks major milestone for US-189 Improved project
PROVO, Utah (Oct. 9, 2026) — The Utah Department of Transportation shifted drivers onto a newly constructed northbound lane through Provo Canyon last night, marking a major milestone in the US-189 Improved project.
To make the shift, crews temporarily reduced the highway to one-way alternating traffic while they placed concrete barriers and moved drivers onto the new northbound lane.
“Moving traffic onto this new alignment is a big step forward for the project,” UDOT Region Three Director Rob Clayton said. “We’ve spent months blasting, moving material and building this section of the highway in a completely new location. Now, northbound drivers will benefit from this milestone while we continue to build a wider, more comfortable highway through the canyon.”
The project, which began last fall, is realigning several miles of US-189 and widening the highway to two lanes in each direction. Improvements also include better access and parking at the Island Beach Day Use Area, longer acceleration and deceleration lanes, improved sight lines through reduced curves and new wildlife fencing to help protect drivers and animals.
Upcoming work will focus on the southbound side of the highway and improvements at the US-189 and SR-113 intersection, where crews will replace the existing stop-controlled intersection with a traffic signal.
Crews will also continue stabilizing the steep slopes needed for the future southbound lanes and prepare for another round of controlled blasting.
Since construction began in October 2025, crews have:
Used 23,000 tons of asphalt to build 1.8 miles of new road
Completed a concrete pedestrian undercrossing to connect recreationalists to the Island Beach Day Use Area and a new, future parking lot
Placed 12.2 miles of drilled anchors in the ground to stabilize slopes to prevent rocks from falling onto the road
Moved 1 million cubic yards of earth
Construction is estimated to last through 2028. Construction schedules are weather-dependent and subject to change.
