West Davis Highway extension to West Point expected to get underway next year
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- Work continues on the West Davis Highway project as seen in this photo taken Aug. 9, 2023, showing the West Davis-Interstate 15 interchange under construction.
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- The 2.5-mile extension of the West Davis Highway into West Point was announced Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Major construction is set to begin next year and wrap up in 2027.
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- A panoramic view of the interchange between the then-under construction West Davis Highway and Interstate 15 in Farmington, pictured Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.
WEST POINT — The West Davis Highway (state Route 177) is less than a year into operation, but crews are already gearing up for expansion.
In a July 31 Facebook post on the West Davis Highway page, the Utah Department of Transportation announced that S.R. 177 is set to be extended 2.5 miles from S.R. 193 to 1800 North in West Point. Major construction is set to begin in 2025 with completion coming in 2027.
Mitch Shaw, UDOT senior communications manager, told the Standard-Examiner that a little work remains, but it was judged that the project is needed.
“A reevaluation of the original West Davis (environmental impact study) is currently being finalized,” he said. “When the original West Davis environmental study was completed in 2017, it called for one lane in each direction in this area, because that’s what travel models suggested at the time. But with all the growth we’re seeing in Davis County, two lanes in each direction are now needed. The alignment that was decided in 2017 remains the same.”
Shaw said the $225 million project also will include extension of the Emigrant Trail from 1300 North to the Weber County line.
S.R. 177, which had originally been slated to open its initial 16-mile route from Farmington to Syracuse this summer, opened to traffic in January.
Shaw said these first seven months of operation have gone smoothly.
“It has improved commute times on (Interstate 15) and reduced congestion on the freeway and on existing roads in the western portion of Davis County,” he said.
Eventually, plans are to extend the highway through western Weber County where it will rejoin I-15. But Shaw said that part of the project won’t be happening anytime soon.
“A project to extend West Davis north of 1800 North, through Weber County exists on the long-range plan, but no timelines exist,” he said. “It’s still many years out at the moment.”
For more information on the West Davis Highway and to keep up on future developments, visit https://westdavis.udot.utah.gov.