ST. GEORGE — With a project to widen and improve the first 6.5 miles of state Route 9 east of Interstate 15 being considered, the Utah Department of Transportation is holding an open house in Hurricane this Tuesday so the public can learn more about the project and comment on it.
UDOT is planning to widen SR-9 from Exit 16 to the future connection with the Southern Parkway in the area of 2700 West.
A purpose of the project is to accommodate future and increasing traffic use, particularly as SR-9 serves as a gateway to Zion National Park which has garnered four million-plus visitors annually in recent years.
“SR-9 is a high priority corridor for us in Washington County,” Kevin Kitchen, a UDOT spokesman, said during the Dixie Regional Transportation Expo held earlier this month.
“We know we’ve got a lot of traffic headed to Zion (National Park) and we have a lot of development happening all throughout the county,” he said.
Improvement to SR-9 includes widening the roadway so express lanes can be added between I-15 and the Southern Parkway. Interchanges will also replace existing intersections in order to promote safer and more efficient use of the roadway. Communities along the roadside will still be able to access SR-9 through the use of frontage roads connecting to the new interchanges.
The overall goal with SR-9 and the Southern Parkway is to create a beltway between I-15 Exits 2 and 16, UDOT project manager Kim Manwill said during the transportation expo.
Officially titled the “SR-9 Improved” project, it is currently in an environmental study phase where public input is being encouraged, Kitchen said.
A public house on the project is also being held at the Hurricane Community Center, 53 S. 100 West on Tuesday from 5-7 p.m.
The environmental study process and a final decision on SR-9’s design is anticipated to be released by mid-summer.
Additional information on the SR-9 project can be found on the SR-9 Improved website.
Open house details
- What: SR-9 Improved open house.
- When: Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 507 p.m.
- Where: Hurricane Community Center, 53 S. 100 West. Hurricane.
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