The Utah Department of Transportation added turn lanes, installed sidewalks, widened an intersection and built a new four-way traffic signal at River Road and state Route 113.
UDOT Regional spokesperson Wyatt Woolly said the project cost nearly $6 million and will be completed by Oct. 15.
He said the traffic signal is more than historic.
“It’s their second signal ever and it connects to River Road,” Woolly said. “River Road is the main road that comes in from the north for Midway, so that's like their main route. So that's an important intersection that will make things safer for everyone traveling through that corridor.”
Three years ago, a UDOT survey showed the intersection “warranted” a signal and road widening.
Construction began in March. Some local businesses said the traffic impacted their operations.
Jill Seare, co-owner of the Fernweh boutique, said sales are down 30% compared to this time last year. She said construction traffic regularly blocked the entrance to the store’s parking lot, making it difficult for customers.
“We had our anniversary sale, and that’s usually big for us,” Seare said. “And it was really sad because people just really couldn’t even get to the store during that anniversary sale, and it was really discouraging for us.”
Midway resident Matt Reschke said he often rode his bike to avoid construction traffic.
“I found that riding your bike was sometimes actually faster than driving because you could get the construction faster without having to stop,” Reschke said. “So, there was a couple times I would just ride my bike to Heber instead of driving.”
Reschke said adding the signal makes the town safer for his kids as they walk or bike to school.
“I teach my kids to make a big presence and make sure that they’re seen and take up space so that cars know that they’re there,” Reschke said. “It’s nice to have de facto place to cross.”
The worksite also blocked the main entrance to Annie B’s Pizzeria parking, impeding potential customers. The restaurant is temporarily closed, though it wrote on Facebook Sept. 21 that it hopes to reopen soon.
