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SALT LAKE CITY — A project to overhaul a major Sugar House road and the utilities underneath it is moving along, but not before another major traffic shift.
Traffic is currently reduced to one lane in each direction in the area, but all eastbound 2100 South traffic will be closed from 900 East to 1100 East beginning on Monday.
Crews will work to replace the 110-year-old water and sewer lines that run underneath the road while also repairing the roadway during the eastbound closure, according to Salt Lake City. The closure is expected to last through mid-August.
The city recommends drivers planning to travel east on 2100 South use Sugarmont Drive (2225 South) between 900 East and Highland Drive instead, where they can use Highland Drive to get back to 2100 South. This is the path that Utah Transit Authority's Route 21 bus will take.
Drivers can also use 1700 South as a detour. Salt Lake City says it will temporarily restore two-way access on 1100 East between 1700 South and 2100 South during the eastbound closure. Crews are also working to complete road repairs along 1100 East for a separate project.
In both cases, drivers can use side streets between 900 East and 1100 East to reach homes and businesses.
"We acknowledge and appreciate the community's patience while the city reconstructs 2100 South," said Salt Lake City engineer Mark Stephens, in a statement Thursday. "Our goal is always to reduce roadway construction impacts to residents and businesses — in Sugar House and elsewhere around the city."
The project — one of the last items from the "Funding Our Future" bond that residents approved in 2018 — began in March and is expected to last into 2025 with a break during the upcoming winter.
It aims to overhaul the aging utilities buried underneath 2100 South while also reconfiguring the roadway from 700 East to 1300 East. Stephens said the work "safeguards taxpayers' investment" in the roadway and expands its lifespan.
However, residents and businesses have also voiced their frustrations since the work began. Sarah Snow, owner of the thrift shop Pib's Exchange located along Highland Drive just south of 2100 South, told KSL NewsRadio's "Dave and Dujanovic" earlier this month she's felt the impact of both road and building construction since 2022.
"It's been a few years that we've been dealing with this construction," she said, estimating business has dropped by 30% over that time. "We realize it's a needed thing ... but people were having a hard time getting us."
Her business countered by increasing advertising and using that to explain how to navigate through all the construction. While she said the city has communicated when construction will take place, there are some details that ultimately "fall through" once construction begins.
Businesses within a half-block of construction can receive up to $3,000 through Salt Lake City's Construction Mitigation Grant which owners can use to promote their businesses during construction. Salt Lake City Councilwoman Sarah Young, who represents Sugar House, said the city is also looking at ways to host events that still bring people to the neighborhood businesses, despite the construction.
"We're really trying to not just support those businesses, but also encourage people to still frequent the businesses that you love down there," she said. "I know the construction can be challenging, but these businesses are worth it."
