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Show Update on Interstate Construction February 25, 2007 Interstate art a little off the wall Standard-Examiner 3-D murals to capture cities' theme BY JORDAN MUHLESTEIN Standard-Examiner staff jmuhlestein@standard.net OGDEN A drive on the freeway can offer more than views of dirty license plates, large sound walls and monoto-nous yellow lines it can showcase artistic beauty. That is the premise behind a $200,000 project to install art on each of the six bridge structures being reconstructed as part of the I-15NOW(New Ogden Weber) expansion. Each bridge will be decorated with several murals of stainless steel and concrete that depict a theme specific to the city in which it stands, said Andy Neff, public involvement manager DREW GODLESKI/Standard-Examiner Art is part of the 31st Street bridge as a load of snowmobiles pass Thursday afternoon in Ogden. Murals From 1A for Utah Department of Transportation Region 1. "One of our project goals is to improve aesthetics along the roadway and to provide good gateways into these communities," he said. Each city will choose the theme for its bridge or bridges and work with UDOT and the artist, Tod Wadsworth, to decide what will be depicted in each mural, Neff said. Wadsworth works for one of the project's contractors, Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction. He said he began doing concrete art when "pouring concrete day in and day out got old." Bridge abutments and retaining walls provide a great medium for artwork, he said. Wadsworth said he hopes to "emphasize the available light" by using reflective metals on certain areas of the mural. His concrete and steel murals are build to last. "We try to make them as maintenance-free as possible," he said. Ogden is in charge of the 31st Street and 24th Street structures. West Haven will decide the theme for 21st Street. Marriott-Slaterville will work on 12th Street, and Farr West will oversee 450 North and 2700 North. The first murals are in place at the 31st Street bridge over I-15. Ogden chose the theme of outdoor recreation to promote the year-round opportunities in the area, Neff said. "On the northbound side is winter sports, with skiers, a snowboarder, ice skaters, hockey players and snowmobiles," he said. "Southbound has summer sports, with backpacker, mountain biker, skateboarder, motocross rider and kayakers." UDOT is working with the other cities, but no themes have been decided on for the other bridges, Neff said. "The other cities wanted to see the end product at 31st Street," he said. "In general, though, the cities will have themes that reflect their history." While some of the art at 31st Street is visible to approaching drivers, those curious to get a good look at the art may have to hope for slow traffic. Many of the murals are below the bridge itself, which would require drivers to divert their eyes from the road to take it all in. "We encourage drivers to watch the roadway when they're driving," Neff said, adding that people may have to be passengers to see the art well. The other bridges, however, will offer easier access to the art because the freeway goes over the bridges, meaning the murals will be visible to people on slower surface streets. Standard-Examiner reporter Sam Cooper contributed to this article. 28 |