ST. GEORGE — Starting mid-July, parts of state Route 9 between Virgin and Rockville are getting repaved in order to preserve the life of the road while also providing safety upgrades. A part of the project is set to run through early August with the additional safety upgrades running into the fall.
The Utah Department of Transportation recently announced that roadwork is starting Monday, July 15, on two segments of SR-9. The first area is between miles 19 and 21 near Virgin with the second in the area of miles 22-25 near Rockville.
According an email from Kevin Kitchen, a senior communications manager for UDOT, the surface of the roadway near Virgin is being milled and replaced with new asphalt in an effort to maintain the durability of the roadway.
The second segment of road near Rockville will include striping the asphalt from the bridge to just west of the Coal Pit Trail. Potholes in the area are also set to be repaired and sealant added to the roadway.
Overall work in the area is being done to help give that part of SR-9 “a second life” in the face or increasing regional and tourism traffic on the Zion Corridor, Kitchen noted.
“We realize that’s a heavily trafficked road,” he said.
During asphalt paving, traffic on SR-9 will be in a one lane configuration. Motorists can expect up to a 20 minute delay in each direction with crews working during the week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On nights and weekends, traffic will be in a normal pattern and may be driving on uneven surfaces.
Additional work includes guardrail safety improvements from August to mid-September and Rockville Bridge rehabilitation work set largely for August.
New rumble strip and sign posts installation and road striping is also scheduled to take place between September and October.
On nights and weekends, traffic resume normal two-way traffic pattern and may include driving on uneven surfaces. It is anticipated the project will be completed by mid-October 2024.
Sunroc Corporation is the contractor handling the project which is estimated to run over $3.3 million.
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