Nightly I-80 lane closures begin in Parleys Canyon near Park City

I-80 travelers headed for Park City hit a new overnight bottleneck as lane closures began in Parleys Canyon, cutting through the main corridor between 2300 East and Exit 130 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The restriction marked the first phase of a multi-year improvement project, and for anyone trying to reach the Wasatch Back on schedule, the message was simple: leave earlier, expect delays, and watch the route after dark.

Utah Department of Transportation says the work will repave 22 miles of roadway, improve eight bridges, install 11 miles of fiber optic cable and upgrade nearly 50 miles of culverts. The broader Summit County and Parleys Canyon effort spans 12 projects over the next two years, including four miles of pavement replacement, three intersection improvements and a new bus rapid transit system on SR-224. That makes this more than a routine lane squeeze. It is the start of a long construction period on one of the state’s busiest mountain access corridors.

For travelers, the impact reaches well beyond commuters. Parleys Canyon is a primary gateway to Park City trailheads, mountain-bike access, ski-area approaches and backcountry side trips on the Wasatch Front. Nightly closures may sound manageable on paper, but they can still throw off late arrivals, early departures and shuttle pickups, especially during busy spring and summer weekends when mountain plans are tightly timed.

Robert Stewart, UDOT Region Two director, said I-80 is a critical route for Utah’s economy because it connects Salt Lake City and Park City and supports daily commutes, deliveries and tourism. UDOT said most traffic impacts were expected overnight or on weekends, but it also warned drivers to expect heavy delays during the paving work. In a May 12 update, eastbound I-80 at the mouth of Parleys Canyon, mileposts 126.5 to 129, was reduced to one lane for paving from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until Friday morning.

The agency said the next phase of paving should begin later this summer between Mountain Dell Reservoir and Lambs Canyon, with bridge work and other construction activities expected to begin in 2027. UDOT’s Wasatch Back information also points travelers to I-80, SR-224, SR-248 and US-40 as the key roads around Park City, while SR-224 bus rapid transit service is slated to begin in 2028. For anyone heading up for a weekend escape, the canyon is no longer just the road in, it is part of the trip planning itself.