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2015 RAIL CONFERENCE

Public Transit in Utah on Fast Forward

In celebrating Utah’s recent record of enhancing public transit, speakers at the conference’s Host Forum emphasized one point: More must be done and fast.

Making that happen means cooperation, long-range planning and the ability to look into the future and make decisions that will enhance Utah residents’ ability to get around in a state whose population is increasing.

Such a plan is already in place, said Andrew Gruber, executive director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council. “What the plan does is to bring everybody together statewide—comprehensive and balanced—adding new capacity while tending to what we have now,” he said. Now, capital investments are necessary to keep the system in good repair and make decisions for the best use of those investments.

That’s been the case in recent years, when the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) and its allies extended TRAX, said Steve Meyer, UTA’s chief development officer. That effort, he said, finished two years ahead of schedule and $300 million under budget, due to “shared visions and partnerships.”

The Salt Lake Valley is home to slightly more than a million people; a total of 1.7 million live along the ­Wasatch Front, which runs along an 80-mile stretch from Ogden to Provo. Further, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker noted that the city’s population doubles during working hours. “Moving people is important to us,” he said.

Among the public transit corridors that Becker prizes is the North Temple Boulevard, once a car/pedestrian-only route that led to the airport. Today, it is a “multimodal corridor, a truly complete street” with TRAX, cars and trucks, bicycles and pedestrians.

The mayor, himself an avid bicyclist, also praised UTA’s streetcar, which runs from the north-south TRAX line to Sugar House, transforming that once-aging community. “The potential of the area was made reality,” Becker said. “But it’s only the ­beginning.”

Carlos Braceras, executive director of Utah DOT, agreed. “We need to move to more integrated transportation with collaboration, education and transparency,” he said. “Long-term goals: Improve quality of life, economic competitiveness, mobility and accessibility, safety and environmental sustainability.”

All in all, Utah has a vision and a plan to make all that happen, and fast.

The session was sponsored by Parametrix Inc.

 

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