Mountain View Corridor segment opens Saturday

Transportation • New highway stretch to open six months ahead of schedule.

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To help relieve congestion in Herriman and Riverton, the Utah Department of Transportation is opening a two-mile section of the new Mountain View Corridor on Saturday — six months early.

UDOT and the cities are also hosting a celebration that day that will include a 5K fun run, a one-mile walk, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and food and fun in a park.

The section of the highway that will open early is between 12600 South and Rosecrest Road (14400 South), said Teri Newell, Mountain View Corridor project director. That part of the highway runs north and south at roughly 4800 West.

UDOT originally had planned to wait to open the road until all current construction between 16000 South and 5400 South was completed later this year. "But we're opening [the two-mile section] six months early at the request of Herriman and Riverton. They are having some congestion in the area. And opening this early will be a help to them," Newell said.

The first phase of Mountain View is essentially two widely separated, one-way frontage roads for a future freeway that eventually will be built between them. UDOT has an online video explaining how the intersections will work at udot.utah.gov/mountainview.

"We want people to go to our website to help see how to drive it, because this is the first stretch that we are opening in Salt Lake County," and the wide separation between its two one-way roads is a little unusual, Newell said.

Mountain View will eventually be a full freeway running between 2100 North in Lehi to Interstate 80 near Salt Lake City International Airport.

"Opening the first section of the Mountain View Corridor in Salt Lake County is a significant milestone," Newell said. "The growing population in western Salt Lake County demonstrates a great need for a new transportation system to support this growth."

To celebrate the opening of the new segment, several events are scheduled Saturday on the new roadway near Foothills Park, 14090 S. 4830 West. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the road is scheduled there at 10 a.m., followed immediately by a fun run and walk. Food and activities in the park are scheduled between 10 a.m. and noon.

The road is scheduled to open to traffic about 3 p.m. on Saturday.