Emergency construction infuriates drivers in Saratoga Springs
Aug 29, 2019, 6:01 PM
(Adobe Stock Photo)
UTAH COUNTY – A malfunctioning stoplight at a very busy intersection is being blamed for a massive traffic slowdown in Saratoga Springs this morning. City leaders and commuters are pointing angry fingers at UDOT, claiming they weren’t warned about this problem.
The Utah Department of Transportation frequently closes off roads at night to try to avoid major traffic problems during the day. They were planning to reopen the intersection of Redwood Road and 2100 North in Lehi by five Thursday morning. However, the stoplights malfunctioned and crews weren’t able to reopen the intersection until after nine.
By then, the damage was done.
One driver tells KSL, “I don’t think they (UDOT) realize how many people they affect.” Another says, “We were all late to work, by hours.”
Officials with the Alpine School District say some of their students were between 40 and 90 minutes late, forcing them to miss their first period class.
“It wasn’t anything that anybody had anticipated. It wasn’t anything that anybody wanted,” says UDOT Spokesman John Gleason.
Crews reportedly got the intersection open as quickly as they could, but, Gleason says the emergency repairs were a necessary evil.
“That required us to keep those lanes closed much later than we wanted to. Unfortunately, that caused major delays for the morning commute,” he says.
Gleason also says they’re going to carefully look over what happened to try and ensure it doesn’t happen again.