Ogden Canyon to permanently restrict drivers with loads longer than 50 feet

Vehicle size restriction to begin on Sept. 22

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Sept. 19, 2025) - The Utah Department of Transportation will permanently restrict vehicles longer than 50 feet from travelling in Ogden Canyon starting Monday, Sept. 22.

The restriction is one of several safety measures UDOT is implementing along State Route 39 in Ogden Canyon, where five people have died since 2015.

UDOT engineers recently completed a technical analysis of this canyon, with a particular focus on a section known locally as "The Narrows." The study included modeling the movements of large trucks through the canyon, and engineers discovered that vehicles over a length of 50 feet cannot travel through some sections, including The Narrows, without encroaching on the opposite lane.

As a result, beginning on Monday, Sept. 22, UDOT will prohibit vehicles greater than 50 feet from driving through the canyon. UDOT will also reduce the speed limit to 35 mph in The Narrows and install radar speed feedback signs.

"This is the right thing to do," UDOT Region One Senior Communications Manager Mitch Shaw said. "It's up to us to create the best engineering solutions possible to help keep people safe. But this won't prevent every crash. We need the public to help out, too."

UDOT encourages drivers to secure their load, keep a safe amount of traveling distance between the vehicle ahead of them and use caution when driving around sharp curves.

"We really need people to pay attention, slow down and put down the distractions, especially when driving in the canyon," Shaw said.

Since late 2024, UDOT has implemented other safety measures in Ogden Canyon, including mitigating rockfall at the SR-39/SR-158 intersection, replacing aging barriers, installing centerline rumble strips, placing additional "no passing" and "curve warning" signs in the canyon and holding an open house to gather public feedback on potential safety measures.