You’re sitting at the intersection of 7800 South and Redwood Road, watching the light turn green for the third time while you’re still three cars back from the line. If you live in West Jordan, this is your life. The trek from West Jordan to Salt Lake City is barely 15 miles, but anyone who drives it daily knows that "15 miles" is a deceptive, filthy lie told by Google Maps on a good day. It’s a transition from the sprawling, suburban quiet of the southwest valley into the high-altitude urban grid of SLC, and honestly, the way you choose to bridge that gap defines your entire mood for the day.
Most people think it’s just a straight shot up I-15. It isn't. Not really.
The Gridlock Calculus
The Salt Lake Valley is a bowl. To get from West Jordan to Salt Lake City, you are essentially moving from the bottom-left of the bowl toward the top-center. Because of the Oquirrh Mountains to the west and the Wasatch to the east, everyone is funneled into a few specific north-south arteries. You’ve got I-15, which is the "obvious" choice, but then you have Bangerter Highway and 700 West.
Traffic here has changed. In the last five years, the population in West Jordan has surged past 116,000 people. According to data from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), the sections of I-15 near the 7200 South and I-215 interchange see some of the highest daily traffic volumes in the entire state. If you leave at 7:45 AM, you are signing a contract with frustration. If you leave at 7:10 AM? You might actually find a parking spot near State Street without breaking a sweat. It’s that tight of a window.
Why Nobody Talks About the "Back Roads"
Experienced commuters know that Redwood Road is a trap. It looks like a straight shot, but the stoplights are timed by someone who clearly dislikes humans. Instead, the "secret" (which isn't really a secret anymore) is utilizing the newer interchanges on Bangerter. UDOT has been on a tear lately, replacing traditional intersections with flyover interchanges. This has shifted the West Jordan to Salt Lake City commute patterns significantly.
While Bangerter takes you further west than you might want to be, the lack of traffic lights means you can maintain a steady 60 mph until you hit the California Avenue exit or loop back toward the 201. It’s longer in distance, sure. But it’s shorter in "soul-crushing idle time."
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The TRAX Alternative: Is it Actually Faster?
Let's talk about the Blue Line. You can hop on at the West Jordan City Center station or the 2700 West station.
- The Pros: You can read a book. You don't have to deal with the person in the lifted F-150 tailgating you because you're only going 5 mph over the limit.
- The Cons: It’s slow.
Taking TRAX from West Jordan to Salt Lake City usually takes about 45 to 55 minutes to reach the Courthouse or Arena stations. Driving takes 25 to 35 minutes in average traffic. You are essentially trading 20 minutes of your life for the ability to not stare at brake lights. For some, like tech workers heading to the Silicon Slopes or the downtown startups, that’s a fair trade. For others, the lack of "last mile" connectivity in SLC makes it a non-starter. If your office is by the University of Utah, you’re looking at a transfer to the Red Line, and suddenly your commute is 75 minutes. Each way.
The Weird Cultural Shift
There is a distinct vibe shift when you cross that invisible line into Salt Lake City proper. West Jordan is the land of big-box stores, the Jordan Landing shopping center, and cul-de-sacs. It’s comfortable. It’s where you go to have a yard. But Salt Lake City is leaning hard into its "mini-metropolis" identity.
When you make the trip, you’re moving from a place where "parking is free and plentiful" to a place where "parking is a competitive sport." If you’re heading up for a Jazz game at the Delta Center or a show at Eccles Theater, the West Jordan perspective of "I'll just park out front" will lead to heartbreak. You have to pivot your brain.
Winter is the Great Equalizer
We can't talk about this route without mentioning "The Lake Effect." Because West Jordan sits slightly lower in the valley than the benches, but is prone to different wind patterns off the Great Salt Lake, snow hits differently.
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A "dusting" in West Jordan can be a white-out on I-15 by the time you hit the "Spaghetti Bowl" (that chaotic mess where I-15, I-80, and SR-201 all meet). This interchange is arguably the most dangerous part of the West Jordan to Salt Lake City journey during a storm. The curves are tight, the merging is aggressive, and the ice doesn't care about your all-wheel drive.
The Cost of the Commute
Gas isn't getting cheaper. If you’re driving a standard mid-sized SUV, that 30-mile round trip adds up to about 7,500 miles a year just for work. At 25 mpg, that’s 300 gallons of gas. At $3.50 a gallon, you’re looking at over a thousand dollars a year just to see the SLC skyline.
That’s not even counting the "hidden" costs. Utah’s air quality—specifically the winter inversions—is a real factor. When the smog settles into the valley, sitting in your car on I-15 means you are breathing in a concentrated soup of PM2.5 particles. It’s one of the reasons the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) pushes "Free Fare" days during high-pollution periods. It’s an attempt to get the West Jordan crowd off the road and onto the rails.
Micro-Geographies: Jordan Landing to Liberty Park
If you’re heading from the heart of West Jordan to somewhere like Liberty Park in SLC, you’re better off avoiding the freeway entirely. Taking 700 West all the way up is often the "steady" play. It’s ugly. You’ll pass warehouses, industrial yards, and a whole lot of gray concrete. But it moves.
One thing people often miss is the elevation change. You don't feel it until your car starts downshifting. Salt Lake City is roughly 4,226 feet above sea level, while West Jordan sits slightly higher in parts, around 4,300 feet. It’s a subtle slope, but it affects your gas mileage. You’ll usually get better MPG going into the city than coming back home.
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Practical Steps for the West Jordan Commuter
If you are planning to make the West Jordan to Salt Lake City move or just started a new job downtown, stop winging it.
First, audit your timing. Use an app like Waze, but don't just check it when you walk out the door. Check it 20 minutes before. If I-15 is purple (which means "standstill"), immediately pivot to the 201 or Bangerter.
Second, consider the "FrontRunner" link. While TRAX is the direct light rail, some people in West Jordan actually drive 10 minutes east to the Murray Central station to catch the FrontRunner. It’s faster and has Wi-Fi that actually works, making the final leg into SLC a breeze.
Third, watch the weather like a hawk. In Utah, a storm that starts at 2:00 PM will peak right as you’re trying to leave the city at 5:00 PM. If the clouds look heavy over the Oquirrhs, leave early or stay late. Trying to navigate the 7200 South exit in a blizzard is a rite of passage no one actually wants.
Fourth, get a Salt Lake City parking app. Don't hunt for kiosks. Download the "ParkSLC" app before you leave your driveway in West Jordan. It saves you ten minutes of wandering around in the cold trying to find a working pay station.
The drive from West Jordan to Salt Lake City isn't just a commute; it's a daily navigation of Utah's rapid growth. The roads are struggling to keep up with the people, so the only way to win is to be smarter than the map.