New interchange eliminates turns across oncoming traffic
SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 12, 2026) — The Utah Department of Transportation is preparing to open a new interchange at Thistle Junction, where US-6 meets US-89 in Spanish Fork Canyon, marking a major safety improvement for canyon travelers.
The new interchange, which will open by Monday, Nov. 30, replaces the former “T”-intersection with a bridge carrying US-6 over US-89, allowing drivers to enter and exit each highway via new ramps and longer acceleration and deceleration lanes. By separating turning and merging vehicles from high-speed through traffic, the new interchange is expected to significantly reduce the risk of serious crashes at the junction.
Since 2003, five crashes resulting in eight fatalities have occurred at or near this intersection. To mark the opening of the new interchange, UDOT held an event today with remarks from a family who lost loved ones in a crash on the highway.
“We know that no road improvement can undo a family’s loss, but we hope this interchange can help prevent other families from experiencing that same heartbreak,” UDOT Deputy Director Lisa Wilson said.
UDOT presented families in attendance with shadow boxes containing miniature replicas of the original rock memorial that stood alongside the highway. The memorial was removed to make way for construction, and the shadow boxes give families a lasting tribute to keep in their homes.
Opening the interchange before winter gives drivers a safer way to navigate the junction before snow and ice make canyon travel more challenging.
The interchange is one of several recent projects UDOT has advanced to improve safety along US-6, including:
- Diamond Fork to Thistle Junction: Crews completed nearly five miles of safety improvements, including installing over 9,000 feet of median barrier, new overhead lighting and additional drainage systems to improve water runoff and reduce ice buildup.
- Chicken Hollow to Tie Fork: Crews began a $53.4 million project to widen US-6, add a center median barrier, flatten several major curves and make safety improvements to the Sheep Creek Road intersection. Work is expected to wrap up in 2027.
- Price River to Middle Mountain: Crews are making bridge and pavement repairs, as well as adding new guardrails, along approximately 12 miles of US-6, with work expected to wrap up before the end of the year.
Over the past two decades, UDOT has invested more than $150 million in improvements along US-6, including widening the highway, adding passing lanes and median barriers and upgrading intersections. More work remains, including additional widening and barrier improvements in 2027.
