Salt Lake Transit News Thread

[TonyAnderson]

The Utah County portion of MVC is 35% complete already, while I-15 Core is at 14%: Utah Transportation News

[delts145]

Quicker way to WVC’s Valley Fair Mall planned


http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/neighbo...-road.html.csp

A new road will make it easier for people to reach Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City.

There’s never been an east side entrance to the 40-year-old mall, so drivers have to drive to the other side to enter from 2700 West.

Now, the Utah Department of Transportation is designing a new frontage road along the east side of the mall and Costco as part of the 3500 South and Interstate 215 project.

The $9 million project is scheduled to start construction in spring 2011 and be completed within six months. The proposed southbound road will run from 3500 South to 3800 South, UDOT officials said...



.

[i-215]

That might work... Who'd have thought a frontage road would be the perfect solution? Cool!

[delts145]

New I-15 exit now open at 11400 South

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...400-South.html

SANDY — The I-15 freeway now has a new exit.

The 11400 South exit opened Monday night. While drivers currently can only take the exit to go east, that will change over the next three or four months as the Utah Department of Transportation constructs a new road.

Before the project to create the new exit began in 2008, there wasn't a road at 11400 South between 700 West 1300 West. That's what UDOT is building now.


The newly opened 11400 South interchange is part of an ongoing project. (Mike Terry, Deseret News)

"We are still working on a bridge, adjacent to the Walmart, that will take the road over the railroad tracks," said UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo.

Once that's done, there will be a four-lane road with a bike shoulder, sidewalks, bright lights, an updated drainage system, planted medians and new access to the Jordan River...


Mike Terry, Deseret News

.

[delts145]

Draper TRAX wins environmental OK

By Lee Davidson
The Salt Lake Tribune

The proposed Draper TRAX line has crossed the finish line of its environmental review process, and now will move on to the daunting challenge of obtaining federal funding.

The Federal Transit Administration signed a record of decision this week that accepts the final environmental impact statement for the proposed line.

“This is the culmination of years and years and years of work,” Utah Transit Authority General Manager Michael Allegra told the UTA Board on Wednesday...

The agency’s attention now shifts from environmental issues to funding and financing, he said. “Our applications are prepared and are ready to go in for final design and ultimately a full-funding grant agreement” that would determine how much federal money it will receive.

The line would expand TRAX southward along UTA’s railroad right of way from the Sandy Civic Center station. The line would end either at the Draper Towne Center at 12400 South, at a minimum, or at 14600 South if the entire line is built as proposed.

The minimum route would feature three stations, and the full line would have five.

Several park-and-ride lots would also be built.

..

[SLCdude]

That's good news!

Excuse me for not knowing much about how rail works, but will the Draper line be an extension of the Sandy line or will there be a Sandy AND a Draper line?

[Makid]

It will be an extension of the Sandy line.

I hope that they are able to do a full build for the line.

[TonyAnderson]

FrontRunner to Santaquin?

[Makid]

2011 completion date for West Valley, Mid-Jordan TRAX lines announced


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...announced.html

The Utah Transit Authority announced on Thursday that the West Valley and Mid-Jordan TRAX lines are scheduled to be operational on Aug. 7, 2011.

The news came as UTA marked the halfway point in light- and heavy-rail expansion, which will add 70 miles of rail to the existing 64-mile rail network. The $2.5 billion FrontLines 2015 program will include four TRAX lines and a 45-mile commuter-rail extension.

"There isn't any other transit authority in the United States that is doing something this size and is on schedule and under budget like we are here in Utah," said Greg Hughes, UTA board chairman and state legislator.

UTA expects the current daily ridership, of 50,000, to double by the time the expansion is complete.

[delts145]

A great set of pics posted of the new TRAX Service Station over on the Transportation Thread by S.P.Hansen. Take a look...http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...=1#post5001957

One Example:


S.P.Hansen

.

[arkhitektor]

This is still very preliminary, they haven't selected a developer or anything yet, but this is Clearfield City's vision for the FrontRunner station TOD:



http://www.clearfieldcity.org/index....d=814&Itemid=1

The site today:

[SLC Projects]

Wow, those are some big buildings plan for Clearfield.

[TonyAnderson]

That's one fantasy of a TOD. There must be 20+ buildings there. So have they master-planned and zoned the area yet?

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by delts145

A great set of pics posted of the new TRAX Service Station over on the Transportation Thread by S.P.Hansen. Take a look...http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...=1#post5001957

One Example:


S.P.Hansen

.

Thanks delts. Since this is the more active transit thread I thought I would add this explanation concerning the locations of the two TRAX service stations (the question has come up two times now between here and the utahurbanforum).

A: TRAX stop @ 2100 South on the Sandy line.

B: New TRAX Maintenance Station in South Salt Lake off of South 900 West.





This is also part of the TRAX West Valley line as you can see by comparing both the first map with this second one.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A: TRAX stop @ 2100 South on the Sandy line.

B: Original TRAX Maintenance Station in Midvale at 613 W 6960 S.





This is also part of the TRAX Mid-Jordan line as you can see by comparing both the first map with this second one.

[SLC4L]

Pfft! That map makes the Bingham Creek look like a river. 75% of the time the gully it runs in near my house is dry.

I live off Old Bingham Highway. From the looks of it out here, this thing could start running today it's THAT close. If it doesn't snow much in the valley this winter I think this thing could be done a lot sooner.

[UTPlanner]

I was speaking with an individual working on the UTA TRAX expansion and when the track is finally completely laid, they have to run tests on the track for 6 months before they can have passengers. This doesn't include the testing UTA will complete to fine tune a schedule. If it weren't for the test period they would be able to handle passengers in early 2011.

[SLCdude]

With the opening of the West Valley and Mid-Jordan lines, there will definitely be more rail traffic along the University line. I'm wondering if they plan on increasing University train frequency or just adding more cars to each train. Personally I would prefer a higher frequency of trains because the shorter wait would make it more attractive to riders.

[s.p.hansen]

I can't even fathom how crowded with trains the section of the light rail line from Main Street all the way to the Delta Center is going to be.

This really cool map that arkhitektor created really drives the point home. Though the Airport line will not feed into the SLC intermodel hub (as he assumed in the map), that would not be necessary seeing on how there will be a new stop for Front Runner North made to meet people at the TRAX stop on the North Temple Viaduct of the Airport line.


arkhitektor


Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTA_TRAX

[jedikermit]

Wow--beautiful maps. Great work, boys.

[SLCdude]

Here's a map that's posted on the insides of TRAX trains

http://www.rideuta.com/ridinguta/rou...749&signup=101