October 15, 2025
Construction Done the Right Way
Lessons from 2100 S, a complex infrastructure project, in Salt Lake City
Article by Suhas Patil, Project Engineer
On one of the first days out on 2100 South, I was standing in the middle of the street with our crew, looking down at utilities that had less than four inches of cover under the asphalt. Little did I know at the time, I was looking at ninety percent of the city’s utilities as they run through that corridor. It was then that I realized this transportation project was a full rebuild from the ground up.
It was one of those “ah-ha” moments — yes, that’s why we were hired for this project. Stacy Witbeck is a complex constructor. We take on the toughest jobs while setting the standard for excellence. Infrastructure projects are large, complex, and often difficult to coordinate and build, and this project highlighted exactly why our experience matters.
Located in the heart of downtown Sugar House, a dense corridor with heavy traffic and hundreds of impacted businesses, Salt Lake City had been planning this project for years. The road surface was worn down, the underground infrastructure was failing, and the community needed a street that worked for cars, transit, bikes, and pedestrians. These reconstruction efforts were part of the city's $87 million "Funding Our Future" bond, approved in 2018. 2025 marks the final year of projects tied to this bond, with additional investments planned in the 2025–2027 Capital Improvement Program.
The scope was challenging, and utility work was the driver of the schedule. The sewer line beneath the roadway was nearing or over 60 years old, with some sections not significantly updated for decades. More than 7,000 feet of 12inch ductile iron waterline pipe had to be replaced. At the 900 East intersection alone, we installed 20 water valves where most intersections have four or six, making this one of the more complex intersections in Salt Lake City. Coordinating with the City’s traffic control team allowed us to complete that work in a month, saving multiple months of schedule time.
We planted 154 trees, built a multiuse path along the south side of the street, upgraded all existing utilities and added crosswalks, benches, and bike racks. We brought the neighborhood back to life.
We worked to be efficient with materials. Concrete under the road was stockpiled, crushed, tested, and reused as road base — approximately 2,000 tons, reducing waste and saving time and resources.
The original contract had a defined scope and schedule, set to finish in November 2025. Partway through, the City expanded the work with additional improvements. Even with the added scope that doubled the contract amount, the team kept the project moving efficiently and ahead of the original schedule.
We adopted a project-first mentality, focused on resolving issues, allocating resources, and creating solutions to keep the work moving. Over time, that mindset shifted toward a community-first approach, recognizing the importance of minimizing disruptions and keeping residents and business owners informed.
I’ve worked with teams who say, “That’s their scope,” or “That’s their expertise.” On 2100 South, that mindset didn’t exist. Because our team was grounded in a project-first approach, we took responsibility for whatever needed to be done. Every task moved the project one step closer to a stronger, more connected community.
Throughout the job, schedule pressure never eased. Hundreds of calls, constant updates, and resource adjustments were daily realities. We coordinated three-week lookaheads with 34 subcontractors, continuously updating the schedule with the owner and businesses, raising RFIs with solutions, and meeting on-site to resolve issues. Momentum relied on simple tools, face-to-face coordination, and grassroots methods. Strong relationships and proactive resource management kept the project on track.
Doing construction the right way meant thinking ahead and adapting.
One lesson became evident early on: school teaches technical standards, but not how to apply them in an active community corridor. Coordinating businesses, traffic, pedestrians, and utility crews is a skill that comes only through experience.
Being transparent of the scheduled with the community, the client, and our own crews helped reduce frustration and build trust. When concrete needed proper curing, we communicated realistic timelines rather than rushing access.
For businesses, this sometimes meant walking door-to-door to explain a few extra days at an intersection.
For the City, it meant providing clear lookahead schedules and updates when field conditions forced adjustments.
For our teams, it meant balancing productivity with quality, making sure safety and durability came before speed.
This trust became the foundation for cooperation: businesses adjusted deliveries, residents changed travel routes, and inspectors worked with us in real time because they believed in the process. Ultimately, managing expectations was about aligning everyone around what “doing it right” looks like, even if it required more time or patience.
By mid-November, the road was open before the holiday moratorium, which was critical for businesses dependent on seasonal traffic.
This project reinforced several lessons: communicate clearly, address problems early, apply standards thoughtfully, and consider the human element in every decision. Big projects carry pressure, but focusing on fundamentals helps navigate them.
Today, the corridor of 2100 South functions safely and efficiently and is designed to meet the community’s needs for decades.