Moapa Valley Progress
Motorists using Interstate 15 in both directions between Mesquite and St. George should expect delays of up to an hour this week from Tuesday, Feb. 9 through Thursday, Feb. 11. Crews will be pouring a concrete bridge deck in the Virgin River Gorge segment of the highway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
The speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph around Virgin River Bridge No. 6, where the southbound span is being reconstructed. Traffic in both directions is using the adjacent northbound bridge, and the lower speed limit is needed to minimize vibration from traffic and allow the concrete to cure properly.
The reduced speed limit will be in place from 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, to 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11.
During this period, commercial truck traffic will be restricted to loads up to 40 tons. While that is the legal limit for trucks across the rest of the state, commercial trucks using I-15 are normally allowed up to 64.5 tons.
The southbound bridge at milepost 16, midway between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah, remains closed for the reconstruction project, which is scheduled to be completed by this summer. Work on the adjacent northbound bridge was completed last summer.
A $27 million reconstruction project that began in 2014 includes the replacement of the bridge superstructures (girders, deck and railings) as well as widening the roadway through this stretch of the Virgin River Gorge.
“With limited alternate routes available in this corridor, drivers should plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down, drive carefully through the work zone, and be alert for additional construction equipment, crews and law enforcement personnel,” a release from ADOT stated.
For more information about the I-15 Virgin River Bridge project, visit azdot.gov/I15virginriver.
