Plans are in the design stages to double the number of lanes on US-189 along Deer Creek Reservoir.
The road improvements will go from milepost 22, by the Rainbow Bay Day Use Area, to milepost 25, near the junction with state Route 113.
Construction will widen the highway to four lanes, two in each direction.
The goal of the project is to make it safer to drive around a bend in the road where frequent crashes occur, according to UDOT regional communications manager Wyatt Woolley. He recalled a crash last May when a truck driver was killed after plunging through a guardrail and into the reservoir.
“Part of the reason for people having issues is that it does come down to single lanes, and there are sharp curves and things around the area,” he said.
He said the construction will soften the curves to make travel safer.
The changes will also separate northbound and southbound traffic, preventing head-on collisions, another cause of fatal crashes in the past.
The improvements to US-189 will cost about $140 million, largely because of the significant excavation and blasting the project requires.
Major construction is expected to begin this summer. However, UDOT doesn’t anticipate significant traffic impacts during much of the work. That’s because crews will be creating a new road, rather than making big changes to the existing lanes of travel.
“There is a possibility of blasting or some grade work that could impact the road, and so we may have to limit traffic in that area when that does happen,” Woolley said. “We’re not there yet, but we hope it won’t be too impactful.”
He said he expects work on US-189 to continue through late 2026.
Also on UDOT’s list of Wasatch County priorities is installing a traffic light at the intersection of Main Street and River Road in Midway. Main Street is also state Route 113, so it’s maintained by UDOT.
“We see a lot of traffic in that small little town, Midway, that there was a need to signalize that intersection,” Woolley said.
UDOT will also add left-turn lanes and extend bike lanes along Midway’s Main Street this year.
