Crews briefly reduced the highway to one-way alternating traffic while they installed concrete barriers and shifted vehicles onto the new alignment. The change gives northbound traffic use of the newly constructed lane, but it is not the end of the project and drivers should continue to expect an active work zone.
The US-189 Improved project is realigning several miles of highway and widening the corridor to two lanes in each direction. Planned improvements also include better access and parking at the Island Beach Day Use Area, longer acceleration and deceleration lanes, straighter sight lines and wildlife fencing.
Upcoming work centers on the southbound side, slope stabilization and replacing the stop-controlled US-189 and SR-113 intersection with a traffic signal. Since construction began in October 2025, UDOT says crews have built 1.8 miles of road with 23,000 tons of asphalt, moved 1 million cubic yards of earth and installed 12.2 miles of drilled slope anchors. Completion is estimated in 2028, and the schedule remains weather-dependent.