LAYTON — The Utah Department of Transportation seems to have this bridge replacement thing pretty well down pat.

And last weekend’s “launch” of the west span of the new South Layton Interchange went off without a hitch.

“It went exactly as planned,” said Vic Saunders, UDOT’s Region One spokesperson. “There were no problems that developed. That’s a tribute to the hard work of the contractors and UDOT engineers.

Since the bridge was put into place overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, most motorists were not affected by the move, even though southbound I-15 was closed through the area for about five hours, as several alternate routes were available.

“Traffic moved very smoothly,” Saunders said. “We coordinated with our Traffic Operations Center in giving a lot of people significant notice of the road closure.”

For example, motorists traveling from Box Elder County intending on getting on I-84, could take U.S. 89 and bypass the area completely, Saunders said.

The process to move the bridge actually began about 7 p.m. Saturday evening, the work being done in phases.

UDOT and Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Company crews began the final move of the 2.4 million pound bridge structure at 11 p.m., and gradually inched the structure into position by 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

The launch of the huge structure involved sliding the structure forward with huge hydraulic rams, while the bridge moved on Teflon-coated pads lubricated with STP oil.

The bridge is one of several UDOT has moved in the past few years, a process which always draws residents interested in watching such a major event.

Former Utah Rep. Frank Knowlton attended last weekend’s. Saunders said that as a contractor, Knowlton knew how the job used to be done and liked some of the old way, “but he could see the wisdom in what was happening.”

The east span of the bridge will be moved later this month, on Aug. 21, when the whole process will take place again. That portion of the bridge is presently suspended almost 20 feet in the air, east of I-15. Over the next two weeks, it will be gradually lowered to ground level.

The $97.5 million South Layton Interchange project will construct a full interchange in South Layton, a bridge over the Union Pacific and UTA rail lines, and the new Layton Parkway, connecting each Layton to west Layton at Fort Lane and Flint Streets.

It will also extend the Express Lanes from Kaysville to Hill Field Road, reducing congestion for I-15 motorists, users of the Hill Field Road (exit 331) and Kaysville (exit 328) interchanges.

mwilliams@davisclipper.com