Closure of I-15

UDOT has announced that it will close both directions of I-15 between University Parkway and Provo University Avenue for four nights, starting on June 3rd.
Here is their announcement:

Construction teams on UDOT's Utah County I-15 Corridor Expansion (I-15 CORE) are scheduled to close I-15 in both directions between the University Parkway interchange in Orem and the University Avenue interchange in Provo. This closure is scheduled for the nights of June 3-6. Crews will be setting girders  (beams) on the new flyover bridge over I-15 at Provo Center Street.

Drivers on southbound I-15 will exit at University Parkway in Orem and will rejoin southbound I-15 via University Avenue in Provo.  Drivers on northbound I-15 will exit at University Avenue and will rejoin northbound I-15 via University Parkway. Although long, it is strongly recommended drivers follow the posted detour as traffic signals will be timed to improve movement and travel time along the designated route.

During these overnight closures, east-west access on Provo Center Street will remain open. Local traffic may experience added delays crossing University Avenue and University Parkway due to priority signalization on the detour route.

All four nights may not require a full closure of I-15. Motorists are encouraged to follow I-15 CORE on Facebook and Twitter and the web (udot.utah.gov/i15coreudot.utah.gov/i15core) for changes to this activity.

WHEN:       Friday, June 3, from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.; 

                 Saturday, June 4, from 11 p.m. to 9:30 a.m.; 

                 Sunday, June 5, 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m; and

                 Monday, June 6, from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

WHERE:      I-15 in both directions between University Parkway in Orem and University Avenue in Provo. 

Freeway Inter-Changes in Northern Utah County

The following announcement from UDOT concerns road changes at the interchange near Thanksgiving Point:

Significant changes will begin to be seen in and around the Timpanogos Highway (S.R. 92) interchange with I-15 beginning today.

      As part of the ongoing Timpanogos Highway construction project, the I-15 interchange is being reconfigured as a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI), similar to the new DDI at American Fork Main Street.

Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) engineers are confident that the new DDI will make traffic flow faster and more efficiently through the interchange. But in order to make the DDI function properly, changes will have to be made to the surrounding roadway configurations as well. 

Some of those changes will begin today just west of the interchange, including changes on Thanksgiving Way and Ashton Blvd.  Thanksgiving Way, which has been a through street across S.R. 92 (which is called Clubhouse Drive west of the freeway), will now be blocked to through traffic and will only allow right-in, right-out access in both directions. The signal at Thanksgiving Way will be deactivated and removed, and the newly installed traffic signal at Ashton Blvd. will be activated.

These changes, which will go into effect at approximately 2 p.m. today, will require several adjustments for motorists, including:

*     Those who wish to access the Thanksgiving Point restaurants, meeting rooms, shops and theaters from points east will need to go all the way to Ashton Blvd., turn left and follow it to Executive Parkway, where they will make another left and follow that road to Thanksgiving Way, where they can turn right to access Thanksgiving Point.

*     Those who wish to access the Chevron station or Iceberg restaurant from points east will need to follow the same route as outlined above, only they will turn left at Thanksgiving Way.

*     Those who wish to get back on the freeway or go to Lehi or Highland from the Maverik station, JCW's, Dell Taco or the Hampton Inn will need to follow Thanksgiving Way north to the point at which it connects to Ashton Blvd, where they will turn left and follow it back to Clubhouse Drive.  They will turn left on Clubhouse Drive and follow it back toward the freeway.

  

"All of these changes will require a little period of adjustment," said UDOT spokesperson Scott Thompson. "But making them now will allow us to complete our work on the new DDI more quickly, which will ultimately enhance the flow of traffic in this rapidly growing area."

The Timpanogos Highway project is being built through a joint venture of the Flatiron and Harper construction companies.  It is scheduled for completion by the fall of 2011.

For more information about Timpanogos Highway please visit the project website at www.udot.utah.gov/sr92 or call the project information hotline at 1-877-222-3757.

Emergency Preparedness

An Emergency Preparedness meeting will be held in the Provo City Council Chambers on June 9th at 6:30 PM.  There they will discuss flooding, CERT training and emergency preparedness. 

All residents are invited to attend this meeting. 

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. CERT training educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

The City is planning to hold CERT training in August or September.  If you or someone you know is interested in this training, call Deon (801-377-5668).  We want to be sure that there are CERT certified people in our neighborhood!

Local Free Concerts

No excuse to stay home every Friday night this summer! Here are some family-friendly concerts sure to be a fun date, group activity, or family fun night.

Get out to the Central Utah Gardens for entertainment that suits all ages.  Pop and soul singer Ryan Innes will be featured at a free concert on June 10th at 7:30 PM.  Celtic music group An Rogaire Dubh will perform on June 24th.  For more information, contact the Central Utah Gardens office (801-226-7136) or online http://www.centralutahgardens.org.


Once a month there are concerts at Provo Towne Square (see the post from April 27) and coming up this Friday will be Mindy Gledhill and Meagan Smith with Ryan Innes to start the show. The Rooftop Concerts are on  the first Friday of each month; click on the link above for the schedule of performers. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket or both. The show starts at 8pm.  There is also a market in the courtyard that begins at 6pm.
Provo Towne Square is on the northwest corner of the intersection of Center Street and University Avenue.  The market is in the courtyard (you can see it from the lot behind Central Bank) and the concert is on the top level of the parking structure (access to the top is on the east and west of the parking deck).

Now, get out and have a great time!

June 4th Festival washed out

The Utah Lake Festival described in an earlier post has been canceled due to dangerously high river levels.  Since the Festival draws families with young children, their safety was the concern that lead to the decision to cancel the Festival.  If it is rescheduled, I will notify neighbors on this  blog.

High Water Table

One of the great things about living on Grandview Hill is that we don't have to worry so much about the risks of floods.  I don't mean that we never need to worry about the water heater malfunctioning or the consequences of  leaving the bathwater running unattended.  But we are on high ground when there is record-breaking spring runoff and constant rain.

This year is being compared to the soggy years in the mid-1980's. The rains have saturated the ground. The cool temperatures have delayed mountain snow melt. And the resulting quick-thaw is creating havoc in some of the canyons, dangerous conditions on and around the swelling Provo River, and inconveniences on Provo's west side. 

Folks who live on the west side of Provo, now being called "the Lake District", are often finding their own personal lakes in the crawlspaces or cellars below their homes as the water table rises. In order to keep their homes from sinking into the mud, they must run sump pumps.

Word has come from the City Water Department that there is an increase in the amount of water coming into the water treatment plant and they suspect that sump pumps are discharging water into sewer lines.  This is problematic and, in fact, illegal. The Water Department is doing a little detective work to track down who is pumping water into the sewers.  If the guilty homeowners don't stop, they will be fined.

If you have friends or family in the western neighborhoods, such as Lakeview, Harbor Park, or the area near the Provo Airport, who are having to employ sump pumps these days, make sure they know that they must not run the water down a household drain.  They should send it out to storm drains, such as the curbside gutters.

And then, count among your blessings that your basement here on Grandview Hill is warm and dry!

Read Today and Read All Summer

The Provo City Library has a summer reading program each year and through incentives they provide, children are encouraged to keep up their literary skills during the summer when school is not in session.  Details at the library or on their website.

In addition, the Governor's literacy program, called Read Today is challenging kids to read all summer.  They are offering prizes to those who take the challenge.  They have printed a calendar with fun summer activity ideas, and coupons for discounts on treats. The calendar is available to download on the Read Today website or pick up a copy at Deseret Book stores.  Go to the Read Today website to take the summer reading challenge.

The summer reading program for Read Today is kicking off on Saturday, June 4th (my birthday!), at BYU's Wilkinson Center. This celebration is in conjunction with the Festival of Books and among the activities there, guest authors and illustrators will be on hand to sign books. Come and greet Brandon Mull (Fablehaven series), Obert Skye (Leven Thumps series), Keith Merrill, Dean Hughes, and many others.  There will be live music on stage, movies in the theaters,chefs in a dining tent, a storytelling area, and a teen tent. For more information, see the Festival of Books website.