Today is the first day of road repairs on the Interstate-50 freeway. Westbound traffic has been reduced to one lane, so there is currently a 45-minute backup. If you're coming from the east side into the city, Highway 622 or State Route 314 are better choices, as traffic is flowing freely on both roadways right now. Volume is starting to build on roads leading out of the city, because many people are leaving work early to get a head start on their three-day weekends. There are a lot of large campers and SUVs on the freeways, which are starting to cause backups on Interstate 6 both north and south of downtown. Heavy traffic is expected on the mountain pass this afternoon and evening, as well as on Monday, when people return from vacation. The only other problem at this hour is on Highway 109 near exit 17, where a pick-up truck has run out of gas and is blocking the right lane. This has been Sheila Strothers with your 4 p.m. WJKZ traffic update. The next traffic report will be at 5.
