Utah State Route 68

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

North end US 89 in Woods Cross
Location
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
CountiesUtah, Salt Lake, Davis
Highway system
  • Utah State Highway System
←
SR-67
→ I-70

State Route 68 (SR-68) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. It is a major thoroughfare throughout the Wasatch Front as it runs north–south for 70.8 miles (113.9 km), linking US-6 near Elberta to US-89 in Woods Cross. The route intersects several major freeways and highways in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area including I-215, I-80, and I-15. The route is more commonly referred to as Redwood Road, after the street it is routed along throughout Salt Lake County. The highway is also routed for a short distance along 500 South and 200 West in Bountiful and Camp Williams Road in Utah County. The route is a surface street for its entire length.

SR-68 became a state highway in 1931, at which time the route ran from then–US-40 (North Temple Street) in Salt Lake City to present-day US-89 in Lehi. In 1933, the route was extended north to US-89 at Beck's Hot Springs. SR-68 was routed onto Redwood Road in 1943, taking over what had been designated SR-153. In 1960, SR-68 switched alignments with SR-249 to follow Redwood Road and 2300 North to Bountiful; the route was extended south to Elberta at this time also. SR-249 was extended west along a proposed roadway to 2200 West and 2200 North in 1961 before being removed in 1969. In 2001, SR-68 was extended south on a former piece of SR-106 in Bountiful.

Route description

On average, the most driven-on portion of SR-68 is between I-215 and 5400 South, with 66,635 cars-per-day traveling between these two points in 2007. The lowest traffic is recorded at the beginning point of the route through Elberta, with an average of 1,120 cars per day.[2] Traffic along SR-68 in Elberta has increased 135 percent, and the segment between I-215 and 5400 West has increased 13 percent since 1998.[3]

Utah County

A four-way intersection in Elberta with US-6 marks the southern terminus of the route as it starts north on a two-lane undivided highway. The highway exits Elberta and continues north along the sparsely-populated portion of western

Pioneer Crossing and SR-73. Past the SR-73 intersection, the route turns northwest and intersects the east spur of the Mountain View Corridor (SR-85), then passes slightly east of Camp Williams.[5]

Salt Lake County

A 5 line asphalt roadway and blue skies and some white clouds
SR-68 in North Salt Lake

The highway then enters Salt Lake County and the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. SR-68 is one of two roads that connect Utah and Salt Lake Counties through a bottleneck in the Wasatch Front called Point of the Mountain, referring to the Traverse Mountains.[6] The low-lying area through this neck is occupied by the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. SR-68 is routed on the western slope of the canyon, The other highway, I-15/US-89, is routed higher up Point of the Mountain.[5] As the route enters Bluffdale on Redwood Road, it turns northeast and intersects with Mountain View Corridor again, then with SR-140; the Utah State Prison is located on this road east of the junction. SR-68 then turns north before crossing SR-154, commonly known as the Bangerter Highway. Soon reverting to two lanes, the route exits Bluffdale and enters Riverton, gaining two lanes in each direction as it passes SR-71. Continuing north, it enters South Jordan. It intersects with SR-175, SR-151, and SR-209, gaining one more lane in each direction beyond the latter intersection, and enters West Jordan and central Salt Lake County.[5]

SR-68 at its junction with I-80

Soon reaching

Rose Park in the northwestern portion of the city; the second southbound lane is lost north of 1300 North. The highway crosses the Jordan River before exiting the county.[5]

Davis County

Entering Davis County and North Salt Lake, SR-68 reaches a second interchange with I-215 at its Exit 27. Originally a diamond interchange, this has been reconfigured to a diverging diamond interchange.[8][9] The road briefly turns northeast before drifting north again and gaining one lane in each direction. Before passing Skypark Airport, the highway loses one lane in each direction. Redwood Road turns east onto 500 South and enters Bountiful. Past an interchange at I-15, the route gains one passing lane and turns south onto 200 West, a two-lane undivided road. The highway turns southwest and defaults onto southbound US-89 within the city of Woods Cross.[5]

History

A two lane road with a separate turning lane, with a red octagonal stop sign in the middle.
SR-68 turns from Redwood Road east onto 500 South; Legacy Parkway is to the west

In 1931, the

rail siding, 4 miles (6 km) north of downtown Salt Lake, that briefly served as the terminus of a commuter rail line to Beck's Hot Springs.[12][13] In 1943 SR-153 was moved west to Redwood Road, returning to Becks via 2300 North.[14] This brought the north end of SR-68 and the south end of SR-153 together, and two years later SR-68 was extended north to absorb SR-153.[15] In 1953, Redwood Road north of 2300 North became SR-249, which turned east at 500 South in Davis County to end at US-89/US-91 (500 West) in Bountiful.[16]

To provide for route continuity on a truck

Parkin Junction on US-89.[18]

When the highway was established in 1931, it ran from Lehi to Salt Lake City. The state subsequently extended it south into Elberta and north into Bountiful. The road was routed along its current alignment of Redwood Road in 1943. The road has been moved and extended multiple times, with the most recent change being in 2001 when SR-106 was deleted from the state highway system.

Major intersections

County[13]Location[13]mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
UtahElberta0.0000.000 US 6 – Eureka, Goshen, Santaquin, DeltaSouthern Terminus
Saratoga Springs31.71951.047 SR-145 (Pioneer Crossing) – Eagle Mountain, LehiContinuous-flow intersection
32.72652.667Crossroads BoulevardFormer SR-73
SR-85 west (Mountain View Corridor) / SR-194
east (2100 North)		South end of SR-85 overlap
SR-85 west / SR-131
east (Porter Rockwell Boulevard)		North end of SR-85 overlap
40.05864.46714400 SouthFormer SR-140
Bluffdale–Riverton line40.806–
40.842		65.671–
65.729		 SR-154 (Bangerter Highway)SR-154 exit 3; single-point urban interchange
Riverton42.31168.093 SR-71 (12600 South)
South Jordan43.81770.517 SR-175 (11400 South)
45.06872.530 SR-151 (10400 South)
West Jordan46.81175.335 SR-209 (9000 South)
48.31477.754
 SR-48 west (7800 South)		South end of SR-48 overlap
49.31279.360
 SR-48 east (7000 South)		North end of SR-48 overlap
Taylorsville50.642–
50.867		81.500–
81.863		 I-215I-215 exit 13; Six ramp partial cloverleaf interchange
51.31782.587 SR-173 (5400 South)Continuous-flow intersection
52.31384.190 SR-266 (4700 South)
52.46284.429Community Boulevard (
SR-292
)
52.73384.866Bruin Boulevard (
SR-292
)
West Valley City54.30887.400 SR-171 (3500 South)Former US-50
Salt Lake City line
56.104–
56.229		90.291–
90.492		 SR-201 (2100 South Freeway)SR-201 exit 15C; Single-point urban interchange
Salt Lake City
59.045–
59.168		95.024–
95.222
 I-80 to I-215 – Airport, Cheyenne, Reno		I-80 exit 118; Diamond interchange
59.46295.695North TempleFormer US-40, SR-186
62.581100.7142300 NorthFormer
SR-249
DavisNorth Salt Lake63.652–
63.838		102.438–
102.737

 I-215 to I-15 north – Airport, Ogden		I-215 exit 27; Diverging diamond interchange
Woods Cross67.261108.246500 South to Legacy Parkway (SR-67)
Salt Lake City
I-15 exit 316; Diverging diamond Interchange
Bountiful69.211111.384 US 89 (500 West)
69.554111.936200 WestFormer SR-106
Parkin Junction
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b "Highway Reference Online - SR 68". maps.udot.utah.gov. Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "Traffic Statistics". udot.utah.gov. Utah Department of Transportation. 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  3. ^ "Traffic Statistics". udot.utah.gov. Utah Department of Transportation. 2000. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  4. ^ "Utah National Highway System". UDOT Data Portal. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e Google (August 11, 2008). "Utah State Route 68" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
  6. ^ Bradley, Martha Sonntag. "Utah History Encyclopedia — Sandy". University of Utah Press. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  7. ^ Arave, Lynn (April 21, 2010). "Redwood Road stretch named after Pete Suazo". Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  8. ^ "Redwood Road and I-215 North, Widening and Interchange Improvements". Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Curtis, Todd (August 14, 2019). "I-215 ramps to close Friday so crews can finish diverging diamond interchange". Deseret News. North Salt Lake. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Utah State Legislature (1931). "Chapter 55: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. (68) From junction with route 67 southerly via Redwood road in Salt Lake county to Lehi in Utah county.
  11. ^ Utah State Legislature (1933). "Chapter 30". Session Laws of Utah. (153) From North Temple and Eighth West street northerly to route 91 at Becks.
  12. ISBN 0-914740-34-2
    .
  13. ^
    ISBN 0-929591-74-7
    .
  14. ^ Utah State Legislature (1943). "Chapter 45: Highways". Session Laws of Utah. Route 153. From route 67 on Redwood Road north to Junction with route 1 near Davis-Salt Lake County line.
  15. ^ Utah State Legislature (1945). "Chapter 61: State Roads and Routes". Session Laws of Utah. Route 68. From route 1 near Beck's Hot Springs southerly via Redwood Road and Camp Williams to Lehi on route 1.
  16. ^ Utah State Legislature (1953). "Chapter 45: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. Route 249. From route 68 at Redwood Road west of Beck's Hot Springs northerly and easterly to route 1 on Fifth South Street in Bountiful.
  17. ^ a b "State Road Resolutions SR-249.pdf". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
  18. ^ a b "State Road Resolutions SR-68.pdf". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
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