OGDEN – Despite a historic number of concurrent road projects taking place in or near downtown Ogden, city officials say the work will not stop a celebration that is now two years away.
Jay Lowder, director of public services for the city of Ogden, said there are currently 102 construction projects going on within the city limits – much of the work is on Ogden streets, including several major projects in the city center.
Most notably, work continues on 26th Street near Washington Boulevard, which is part of a nearly $ 5 million rebuilding of the road between the city’s main drag and Wall Avenue. And work is progressing in multiple locations across the city, including downtown, on the Utah Transit Authority’s $ 120 million express bus project that will connect downtown Ogden to Weber State University.
Construction is also taking place at several locations along Harrison Boulevard, and although construction is underway outside of the city’s jurisdiction, construction is underway in Ogden Canyon and on 24th Street of the Utah Department of Transportation in West Ogden.
“There is a lot of road construction going on in Ogden,” said Mayor Mike Caldwell. “Every two weeks there is a diversion and it changes. … We appreciate everyone’s patience as we keep moving the lines.”
Caldwell said the city’s traditional parade on Washington Boulevard on July 24, one of the highlights of Ogden’s Pioneer Days celebrations, will not be affected by the construction work, as the nearby works will either be completed or suspended to make way for to create the procession.
According to the Ogden Pioneer Days Foundation, the Pioneer Days Grand Parade is scheduled for Saturday, July 24th at 9 a.m. The Parade Route begins on 31st Street, continues north on Washington Boulevard, and ends on 20th Street. The event regularly attracts tens of thousands of spectators who line up along Washington Boulevard to see marching bands, service organizations, student representatives from schools in the Ogden area, wagons, horse-drawn carriages, antique cars, youth dance groups, and more.
The 2020 version of the parade and the overall Pioneer Days celebrations were canceled amid the then intensifying COVID-19 pandemic. Caldwell said that despite the abundance of road works nearby, the city made sure the parade continued unchanged on the same familiar route so that Weber Counties could enjoy the great cavalcade again.
“That’s the whole point of getting everyone downtown and celebrating again,” said Caldwell. “People are ready to go out of their homes. We are ready to hug them.”
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