April 12, 2002
"WE'RE MOVING VERY RAPIDLY THROUGH THIS ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS. UTA IS ANXIOUS TO GET GOING."
Trax expansion could be a constant process along the Wasatch Front during the next ten years.
The Wasatch Front Regional Council hopes construction won't stop again once it resumes next month.
Trax construction took a break after the University Line was completed before the Olympics,
but work on the extension of that line to Primary Children's Hospital starts next month.
Once that project is complete in two years, the Utah Transit Authority hopes to have several other spurs ready to go.
News Specialist Jed Boal has details from the 21St South Station.
This station is bustling today with only North-South traffic.
In the future it could be a major hub, with riders headed to Sugarhouse and to West Valley.
Merely 28 months ago, Trax started rolling from the Delta Center to Sandy.
Five month ago, the University Line expanded service and ridership.
Since the first months of success, the planning has not stopped.
Several spurs are in various stages of development.
This Bingham Branch line that runs from Trax at 64th South all the way to Kennicott is the likely corridor for the Mid-Jordan.
People will get a chance to give their input next week.
Barry Banks/Project Engineer-Wasatch Front Regional Council: WE HAVE AN EXISTING CORRIDOR. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT IMPACTING HOEMS OR BUSINESSES. WE CAN GO RIGHT IN THERE AN CONSTRUCT WHATEVER WE END UP WITH IN OUR STUDY.
The West Valley-Taylorsville Line presents bigger challenges.
Engineers had the forsight to leave this opening under the I-15 spaghetti bowl.
But, it's an engineering feat to build a by-pass over the Union Pacific Rail Yard.
After that the line will follow street right of way, weave through neighborhoods and Decker Lake Business Park, then engineers mucst cross 35th South and I-215.
Barry Banks/Project Engineer-Wasatch Front Regional Council: IT'S GOING TO BE A MORE COMPLEX PROJECT. NOT NECESSARILY MORE DIFFICULT, IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE MORE STUDY AND ANALYSIS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY.
Engineers expect each of those projects will have less business disruption than either of the two lines already running.
The Wasatch Front Regional Council wants to get all projects to a level of preparedness so that funding is the only question.
Kris McBride/UTA: BASICALLY, WHAT IS BEING DONE NOW IS GETTING THESE VARIOUS COMMUNITIES TO A LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS SO THEY CAN APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDS.
There are two meetings next week during which people can give their input on the alignments for the west side lines. For information, check the box above.
