UDOT implements nightly one-way traffic in Provo Canyon for gravel hauling

UDOT implemented a temporary nightly one-way alternating traffic pattern on U.S. Route 189 through upper Provo Canyon to clear the way for dump trucks hauling gravel for the SR‑113 realignment. The work zone stretched between Island Beach Day Use Area and 3600 South in Charleston, operated each night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. between Feb. 23 and Feb. 28, and used a pilot car to shepherd traffic through the single-lane segment.

The move supports the broader US‑189 Improved Project, whose goal is widening US‑189 to two lanes in each direction between Wallsburg and Charleston and making reservoir access safer and easier. UDOT said the work includes improving sight lines, adding a traffic signal at the US‑189 and SR‑113 intersection, making Island Beach Day Use Area more accessible, and adding wildlife fencing. Construction on the project began in October 2025 and is set to be completed in the fall of 2027.

Crews have been excavating the corridor to create room for the expansion, and UDOT noted that controlled blasting has been part of that effort. “Crews are also wrapping up recent rounds of controlled blasting,” the agency said, and the blasting and earthwork have made nighttime truck movements necessary so gravel trucks can safely access the SR‑113 realignment.

Traffic control during the weeklong operation relied on a pilot car and alternating one-way travel. UDOT warned drivers to plan for delays: “Traffic in one direction may be stopped for up to 15 minutes at a time while a pilot car guides vehicles through the work zone.” Motorists driving between Provo and Heber City should note this stretch is the only area between those cities that previously had a single lane in each direction; the overnight pattern temporarily reduced it to one alternating lane to allow dump trucks to enter and exit the highway.

Morning closures that began in January on the section between Main Canyon Road in Wallsburg and the SR‑113 intersection in Charleston continued to be used for crews’ daytime work, and UDOT indicated those morning closures were likely to continue through February, weather permitting. Local routing was further complicated by intermittent Wasatch County route closures scheduled on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday this week.

UDOT provided a rendering of the future corridor near Deer Creek Reservoir showing the widened US‑189 and work-zone geometry, and the agency included a separate public notice on its project page warning of scam text messages. “Do not respond or give any information. This is part of a nation-wide scam. UDOT’s databases have not been compromised. Report scams and suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission,” the agency advised.

Expect the pilot-car pattern and overnight delays through the Feb. 23–28 window as crews finish gravel hauling for the SR‑113 foundation; once US‑189 is widened and the SR‑113 realignment is built, UDOT projects reduced congestion and improved safety along the Provo Canyon corridor.