Arches Real Estate Group

“WE’RE EXCITED FOR IT TO BE DONE.”

— Natasha Boaro, Hyatt Place Sales Director

STEADY PROGRESS IN SPITE OF SNAGS

Anderson says the project has been on track in terms of both the projected schedule and budget, in spite of a few hang-ups along the way. For example, the onset of the coronavirus caused some delays and uncertainty in supply chains.

“Precast concrete structures, signs, traffic control devices—a myriad of different supplies we have to have for the project have been affected,” Anderson said, adding that subcontractors were also sometimes delayed if they had to quarantine their workers because of an exposure to the virus.

On the other hand, Anderson notes, the decrease in spring traffic caused by pandemic-related shutdowns was an unexpected benefit for the road crews.

“In some ways it’s been a good thing to have a slower season in Moab,” Anderson says. “Now’s the time to get as much of the work done as we can.”

There have been a couple of other unexpected challenges. Anderson says excavation revealed a hard gypsum soil that had to be sealed because if it gets wet, it will behave almost like a flowing substance, and could result in a weakening of the road’s subsurface. At one point crews accidentally hit an underground gas line and had to work with the utility company to resolve the issue. Crews also occasionally found abandoned underground utility infrastructure.

“There’s always something unexpected, especially when you get into an urban area like this where there’s been a lot of development for some time,” Anderson says. “We’ve had some definite challenges, but we’re moving along at a good pace.”

Though Moab saw a hard hit to its tourist numbers in early spring, as summer gives way to cooler temperatures, visitors are returning in droves.

“What the construction crew has noticed is that Moab appears to be having a strong fall,” Anderson notes. The lines of cars, trucks, and RVs navigating the project corridor have lengthened. While the construction exacerbates the backups, similar traffic patterns were already familiar before road crews arrived.

“This type of logjam is exactly the reason we funded this project,” he says. n