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Arizona Begins Construction On I-15 Bridges Monday

ADOT, Arizona Department of Transportation, construction
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

The Arizona Department of Transportation is warning drivers of Interstate-15 between St. George and Mesquite to be aware of possible delays caused by reconstruction of I-15 bridges in the Virgin River Gorge.

On Jan. 6, 2014 ADOT will begin a $2.8 million project to upgrade three bridges that cross the Virgin River. Work is expected to be completed by summer.

An even more ambitious $27 million project is scheduled to launch later this spring, to be completed in 2015. Ultimately, ADOT will need to rehabilitate all eight of the I-15 Virgin River Bridges.
Arizona has explored funding alternates for the lonely but expensive stretch of I-15 that passes through the extreme northwest corner of the Grand Canyon State, including working with Utah and Nevada in securing additional federal funding, according to ADOT Representative Dustin Krugal.

"It's not a road that many Arizonans have driven because it's a very unique situation. Arizona has about a 29-mile stretch of Interstate-15 that clips the very northwest corner of the state. But we know this is a very important corridor and we have several projects lined up," he said.

ADOT estimates that all the necessary improvements, including on-going repaving of the entire 29-mile Arizona section could cost as much $250 million.