$238M upgrade of 5600 South, I-15 interchange in Roy nearly done, other projects continue

ROY — One of several major road projects in the works along and around I-15 in northern Utah is largely complete, giving western Weber County residents easier access to the interstate.

The $238 million upgrade of busy 5600 South in Roy and the I-15 interchange on the eastern end of the roadway is done, save for a few details, after about three years of work. Several other Utah Department of Transportation projects continue, including plans to install a new I-15 intersection to the south at 1800 North near Sunset and Clinton and the extension of the West Davis Corridor northward along the western edge of West Point in Davis County toward Weber County.

With continued growth in the West Haven and Hooper areas west of Roy, traffic has grown in recent years along 5600 South, a key access point to I-15. Simultaneously, the growth of the Northrop Grumman complex on the eastern side of the 5600 South/I-15 interchange, where work on the Sentinel missile defense project is being completed, is expanding. An entry to Hill Air Force Base is also located in the area.

“As growth has continued west of Roy, traffic on 5600 South has increased, particularly during peak commute times. The additional lanes and new interchange should improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and provide safer, more efficient access to I-15 and Hill Air Force Base,” Roy City Manager Matt Andrews told KSL. A celebration is scheduled for Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at Roy Elementary School at 2888 W. 5600 South to mark the project milestone.

With the expansion of the Roy Innovation Center, where much of the Sentinel work is headquartered, he went on, “we anticipate continued growth and additional traffic in this area. Having this infrastructure in place helps position Roy to accommodate that growth and support future economic development.” Northrop Grumman last month broke ground on an expansion of the Roy Innovation Center, which currently employs more than 5,000 people.

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The work along the two-mile section of 5600 South between I-15 and 3500 West entailed expansion of the section to two lanes of traffic going each way with a center turn lane, up from one lane of traffic each with a turn lane. The I-15 interchange was reconfigured to better accommodate the growing traffic at the spot.

UDOT acquired around 60 parcels of land along the southern side of 5600 South to accommodate the expansion and razed the structures on them, mainly single-family homes.

Apart from growth west of Roy in Weber County, more and more people are moving to adjacent northern Davis County in and around West Point, Clinton and Syracuse as well. That dynamic figures in plans to extend the West Davis Corridor, a new major north-south arterial on the western edge of Davis County, toward Weber County. It also figures in the ongoing work to expand 1800 North through Clinton and Sunset to the planned interchange with I-15, where a new entry to Hill Air Force Base is planned.

“All the growth that’s happening in Davis and Weber counties is happening west of I-15,” said UDOT spokesman Mitch Shaw.