No... it's not a new, Saturday night crime drama on tv.

CFI.... Continuous Flow Intersection.  The first of it's kind in the western part of the country.  That's according to the folks at UDOT.  They say it's been going on in Mexico for the past few decades... but the big questions remain:

What will the learning curve be like for Utahns?  How big of a commuter headache will it be for residents in West Valley City?  How long will it take to get used to the idea of crossing over into lanes for on-coming traffic in order to make a left-hand turn from Bangerter Highway on to 3500 south?

I've read the press releases from UDOT... I've watched the tutorial on UDOT's website...(www.udot.utah.gov/cfi)... but I'm thinking the best way for me to get a good grasp of what's going on is to actually drive through that intersection.

My guess... (and it's just a guess) is the biggest change we'll have to get used to is having to stop for a red light just after going through the intersection.  If you're going north or south on Bangerter... you have to pause for all the traffic lining up in the CFI turn lanes.

UDOT says the whole CFI thing is a lot cheaper... and has less of a construction impact than building a whole big interchange.  My concern... other than the learning curve... is safety.  Will confusion about the new way of getting through the intersection lead to more crashes?

Like I said.... I'm gonna take a drive through the intersection for myself.  We'll see what happens... and I'll report back to ya.

Until next time...

MM