What’s up with the road work around the Red Cliffs Temple?

ST. GEORGE — As the Red Cliffs Temple continues to take shape in Washington Fields, it is not the only target of construction in the immediate area. Road work continues on a segment of 3000 East that runs by the temple while an extension of 1450 South connecting to 3560 South nears completion.

The Red Cliffs Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as seen from northbound 3000 East. Along the roadside is heavy equipment and materials that are a part of the 3000 East Corridor project, St. George, Utah, May 16, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

3000 East Corridor Project

Work on 3000 East between 1450 South and 1580 South in St. George is a part of the overall 3000 East Corridor project the city of St. George began last fall. The project is split into six phases. Two of the phases are complete while the part running by the Red Cliffs Temple is projected to wrap up by early June.

Traffic on 3000 East proper through the area is reduced to a single lane as work is done to put a median in the middle of the roadway. Once installed, the median will limit access onto 3000 East from 1580 South by eliminating left turns at that spot.

Access to 1580 South in St. George, which turns into 3650 South in Washington City, is currently blocked off. A part of the overall 3000 East Corridor project includes the installation of a 96-inch-wide drainage pipe in a large ditch being dug along the roadside.

Access to 3650 South between 515 West and 240 West is also closed due to work on the 1450 Extension.

The boundary between St. George and Washington City in that area is 515 West, which is why the streets change names despite being the same roadway.

1450 South extension

Work on the 1450 South extension is anticipated to wrap up within the month, with access to that part of 3560 South restored.

From that end, the extension runs northwest to connect with the intersection of 3000 East. The extension will also provide a northern access point into the Red Cliffs Temple once that project is completed.

General access to 1580 South between 3000 East and 515 West is closed as work is also being done on that segment of road.

Public access to 1580 South/3560 South is also slated to reopen following the completion of this phase of the 3000 East Corridor project.

In all, work on the 3000 East Corridor includes expanding intersections, widening parts of the roadway, installing curbs, gutters and sidewalks, and improving active transportation elements between the intersection with Mall Drive at its north end and 2640 South on the southern end.

While not a part of the 3000 East project, work is being done in Washington City to extend the eastern end of 3560 South to an interchange with the Southern Parkway (state Route 7). There are also plans to extend 1450 South from its western terminus at River Road toward Crosby Way. This will cross the Virgin River and tie into the Dixie Drive/Exit 6 highway interchange of Interstate 15.

While a name change has been proposed for 1450 South and has been discussed by both the Washington City and St. George city councils, no official declaration for a new street name has been made by either city.

The Red Cliffs Temple

A drone view of the Red Cliffs Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently under construction, St. George, Utah, May 5, 2022 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

As for the Red Cliffs Temple, which broke ground in fall 2020, it is no longer the skeletal frame of steel and concrete St. George News reported on in October 2021. Instead, it has come to resemble the completed rendering of the temple shared with the public two years ago by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Work on the temple is anticipated to be completed sometime between mid-to-late-2023.

General development surrounding the temple is zoned for residential use, with some possibilities for future commercial development in the area as well.

The roadwork around the incoming temple is meant to accommodate the increasing growth of the Washington Fields area and provide greater access to those parts of St. George and Washington City overall.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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