Salt Lake Transit News Thread

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Makid

^^^I do agree with this.

I love the amount of transit that has been voted on, worked on and will be coming in the next few years.

It will be great to see what the system looks like when the current lines are up and running and what new projects are being built/wanted by the public.

The construction of these TRAX lines, is the one thing that gives me solice every time I go to put gas in my car, and see the new price for the week. I'm afraid that people wouldn't be as supportive of mass transit if gas were still at 99 cents per gallon. Let's get these lines in place before electric auto's become mainstream.

[ski_steve]

Is free UTA transit on bad-air days a bad idea?

By Arthur Raymond
Deseret Morning News

Free transit fares on red-burn days may be too costly to consider.

HB298, sponsored by Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, proposed letting commuters ride UTA buses and trains for free on the 50 or so red-burn days that happen each year, and for half-price on days designated yellow burn. The bill never made it to a vote in the House but was scheduled for interim study...


http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695267876,00.html

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by stevena07

Is free UTA transit on bad-air days a bad idea?

By Arthur Raymond
Deseret Morning News

Free transit fares on red-burn days may be too costly to consider.

HB298, sponsored by Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, proposed letting commuters ride UTA buses and trains for free on the 50 or so red-burn days that happen each year, and for half-price on days designated yellow burn. The bill never made it to a vote in the House but was scheduled for interim study...

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695267876,00.html

I like how the legislator is comparing it to the arlington transit system were there are 15 days and 3,500 riders a day. Thats like comparing Ephraim's traffic congestion with Salt Lake Valley's. Nice try.

I would think that maybe half price on red days and yellow days. While it would increase the need for buses and trains at least they would get some income from those days. Who knows maybe people would actually realize that transit isn't all that bad after all. I would also expect that with more people using transit on the red and yellow days and putting less pollution into the air, that the number of red and yellow days may be reduced. Ultimately leading to less days UTA would have to provide reduced fares.

Does anyone know if UTA uses or has considered using Bio Diesel in their fleet. That would help on the amount of pollution that UTA puts into the air. Is there a bio-diesel for locomotives? Running Front Runner pollution free would make a huge statement.

[DENrising]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

As excited as I am for Front Runner, TRAX to West Jordan, and the Sugarhouse Trolley...

Anyone know what the status of the Airport TRAX line is? I haven't heard anything about that in some time. You would think that would take priority over some of these other transit dreams...

There was a recent open house to present the D-EIS, so it is making progress. I read somewhere, the N. Temple viaduct will be reconstructed to allow for the addition of LTR as well as the interaction with the new Frontrunner station below.

See the Frontlines 2015 web page for info on the DEIS.

http://www.rideuta.com/projects/airp...l/default.aspx

[delts145]

Metro - A New Design For Utah:

Utah Valley may get express lane -

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...268342,00.html

Most widening projects are about the same, more lanes, a possible raised or landscaped median, but UDOT engineers are creating a road that isn't found anywhere in Utah - S.R. 92 will have a raised or lowered express lane.

[SLC Projects]

I'm for one am glad we have the Trax lines and soon the Frontrunner will come online.

Because it's going to come down to...


There's this...




Or this...

[SLCforme]

HA! that is great! I for one am going to start carrying lube with me when I fill up to make the experience slightly less painful.

[delts145]

Where can we get these as stickers? I would like to paste a few around on the gas pumps when I'm filling-up.

[StevenF]

Just save the picture to a SD card and take it into kinkos or some other place that may be able to make stickers.

[delts145]

Fast-lane buses hit speed bump when factory engines don't fit - Road work along 3500 South would have negated benefits anyway, WVC manager says

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8872388


The new BRT buses were to be delivered around April 1. (Photo courtesy of UTA)

* IT WILL be Utah's first bus-rapid-transit route.
* BUSES WILL have a frequency of 15 minutes or less.
* STOPS WILL be a half- to a quarter-mile apart to increase speed.
* THE ROUTE won't have dedicated BRT lanes at the start, but it will once 3500 South is widened.
* EACH BUS costs $430,000.
* BUSES HAVE 330 horsepower; regular buses run between 240 and 280 horsepower.
* ABOUT 60 people can fit onboard standing; there are 36 seats.


.

[ski_steve]

Road work should set Utah record

By Arthur Raymond
Deseret News

The Utah Department of Transportation is kicking off its 2008 construction season with a record number of projects and enhanced information resources to keep summer travelers up to date.

In a Friday press conference at the 9000 South construction project, UDOT executive director John Nord said the hefty number of new projects is necessary to keep up with Utah's booming population.....

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695269727,00.html

[arkhitektor]

UTA has released a new rail map that includes Frontrunner and TRAX extensions. Not a bad little system we are getting ourselves here:

[StevenF]

Now that picture just needs a line running along the west side going north and south, then one that runs from herriman over to the end of the Draper line. Those lines should round out the valley well enough with a few short lines heading east if needed.

[ski_steve]

Nice! wow Ogden doesnt look as far from Salt Lake anymore after they cut the size down.




FrontRunner forced to delay Pleasant View terminal for months

The Associated Press


PLEASANT VIEW - The Wasatch Front commuter rail line debuting this month will open without its northernmost terminal in Pleasant View, a town just north of Ogden.
Transit officials say Union Pacific Railroad crews are too busy to upgrade tracks between Ogden and Pleasant View.
Pleasant Grove will be left off FrontRunner's itinerary until later this year.
Union Pacific says it has 200 rail workers working around the clock near Oakridge, Ore., trying to dig out 3,000 feet of tracks buried by a January landslide.
FrontRunner's grand opening is set for April 26. (entire article)

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8919016?source=rss

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by stevena07

Nice! wow Ogden doesnt look as far from Salt Lake anymore after they cut the size down.




FrontRunner forced to delay Pleasant View terminal for months

The Associated Press


PLEASANT VIEW - The Wasatch Front commuter rail line debuting this month will open without its northernmost terminal in Pleasant View, a town just north of Ogden.
Transit officials say Union Pacific Railroad crews are too busy to upgrade tracks between Ogden and Pleasant View.
Pleasant Grove will be left off FrontRunner's itinerary until later this year.
Union Pacific says it has 200 rail workers working around the clock near Oakridge, Ore., trying to dig out 3,000 feet of tracks buried by a January landslide.
FrontRunner's grand opening is set for April 26. (entire article)

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8919016?source=rss

Pleasant Grove?

[WASDEN]

Pleasant Grove?

Yeah I saw that too- I think its supposed to be Pleasant VIEW.

Although I can't wait for Front Runner to make it down to Utah County as well.

[Future Mayor]

TRAX extension route remains contentious as SLC Council nears vote

The Salt Lake City Council has scheduled a vote for May 6 to finalize its interlocal agreement with Utah Transit Authority for the Airport TRAX extension. Most of the stations along North Temple will be established then. But whether the city will select the 400 West or 600 West route, or keep that option open until Dec. 31, remains undecided - and contentious.
Apparent consensus on how to span the North Temple viaduct for the airport TRAX train careened into chaos as a Salt Lake City councilman insisted a route may not be selected before the end of the year.
The pronouncement from acting chairman Luke Garrott stunned some 100 west-side residents, many who had pleaded passionately during a public hearing Tuesday to eschew the 600 West option - with its planned viaduct - arguing that it creates a physical and psychological wall for the capital's Guadalupe neighborhood. The residents and business owners, who have lobbied against the 600 West line for nearly a year, expected the saga to be solved May 6 when the council is scheduled to vote on an interlocal agreement with Utah Transit Authority.
But as many in the throng stood to leave, Garrott said a decision on the long shot 600 West or the city's "preferred" 400 West route will remain open until Dec. 31.
"This is a decision for the ages, folks," said Garrott who represents the area. "I want to be part of crafting a community vision for a transit-oriented development."
Garrott insisted a viaduct - which he opposes - may not be necessary at the intersection of 600 West and North Temple. And he challenged anyone to posit a "positive plan" for the neighborhood that incorporates TRAX.
Councilman Eric Jergensen tried to calm the waters, calling Tuesday's discourse a good discussion.
"It hasn't been a discussion tonight, it's been a series of comments," Garrott countered. "We need a discussion."
But others on the council took exception, saying the transit question should be solved soon.
"Their lives are hanging in the air," argued J.T. Martin. "There are real-estate deals hanging in the air."
Councilmen Van Turner and Carlton Christensen agreed, the latter saying he is prepared to vote May 6.
"We owe the community some closure," Christensen said.
Until now, it appeared the TRAX trajectory to the airport was all but complete. The council took a bus tour of the route Tuesday, where engineers mapped the line from the intersection of South Temple and 400 West one block north where it would snake through the North Temple viaduct to connect with the FrontRunner commuter train.
From there, city and UTA officials pinpointed five stops along North Temple before the route skirts Interstate 80 and Wingpointe Golf Course, then ends near the entrance to Terminal 1. (The curved route between 2400 West and airport entrance still is being negotiated but most likely will cross a segment of so-called runway protection zone). A permanent airport stop - once an expansion is complete - has not been determined.
Traffic lanes on North Temple will be reduced from six lanes to four to make room for a bike path and wider pedestrian walkways. Trees and landscaping are planned on the "Grand Boulevard," which will have matching street lights, canopies and a possible public park. The Fairpark TRAX station will connect to the Jordan River Parkway, while a possible park-and-ride lot is slated for the south side of the street across from the Fairpark.
During the bus tour, which did not include 600 West, Garrott told the transportation brass that option "may be back on the table." The comment drew silence.
The tour did extend to 200 North then west of the Salt Lake Hardware Building to an open lot adjacent to the FrontRunner tracks. Officials said that is an outside option for the route, though it would have to connect to North Temple via a ramp.
Jergensen and others suggested any option should contemplate an overhaul of the North Temple viaduct to make way for a "real live intersection" at 400 West. Jergensen called that corridor one of the next great development areas in the city.
West-side residents agree, telling the council the neighborhood is poised for a renaissance. But they say it should be buoyed by TRAX on 400 West, not boxed in by a second viaduct two blocks west.
"I'd really hate to see this structure go up that would set us back ten to twelve years," said Bob Martines, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1949. "I see good times ahead."
One developer noted $50 million has been invested in housing along the corridor. Another resident challenged the council, asking whether the seven members would ever buy a home under a viaduct.
Community workers, volunteers and parents also weighed in, saying now is an opportunity to connect a long-forsaken community that suddenly finds itself in the heart of a westward thrust.
Said Amanda Moore: "Build a bridge that unites us, not divides us."

While I like the idea of a new shorter N. Temple Viaduct. I have to say it really makes more sense to me to have the traxx line take the 600 W route. Afterall the new Central Station is designed to be a hub for all modes of transportation and having to transfer from FrontRunner to Trax from the N. Temple Via-duct really negates Central Station as a central transit hub. I really agree with Garrott in thinking there is a way to make 600 W option more viable with out creating another viaduct. I realize there is a freight track and a FrontRunner track that cross the intersection of 600 W and S. Temple but I think they could develop a method to co-exist. If I'm not mistaken these two lines are seperate at that location. I would think they could send the freight track below grade. That would benefit the area in multiple ways. It would bring Trax to the neighborhood, where there are many lower income individuals, and the neighborhood would be improved with the removal of the freight trains being present.

Maybe I am off base here but couldn't they send the green freight track underground? I may have which track is Freight and FrontRunner mixed up, but either way I would say put the freight below grade and run trax up 600 W


I've said it on here before but I'm going to say it again. I really think Boyer and the city missed a perfect opportunity to create a truly magnificent transit hub. They should have built tracks that would have brought Amtrak and FrontRunner and possibly even trax into the basement of the UP Depot. What a better place to have a transit hub than in a transit station. Bringing a once great station back to life as a transit hub for an entire metro area would have been magnificent. Imagine arriving on a plane at SLC international, taking Trax to a historic downtown Depot and transfering onto FrontRunner to head north or South or continuing on trax into the CBD or up to the University.

Imagine thousands of additional people spilling into Gateway every day simply as a result of FrontRunner. Boyer needed to simply look 7 years ahead in order to envision it. Case in point, Isn't FrontRunner dropping passengers off at the Ogden Depot?

[DMTower]

I think eventually they will have trax running in a loop on 400 and 600 west but for now I think the best option is 400 west... that corridor is going to develop a lot in the next few years and a second FrontRunner station at the north end of the city that connects to Trax above makes sense. If this were a suburb I would say there shouldn't be two commuter rail stations that close together, but since it is downtown Salt Lake, one at each of the north/south entrances would get people where they're going more efficiently.

[WASDEN]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

I've said it on here before but I'm going to say it again. I really think Boyer and the city missed a perfect opportunity to create a truly magnificent transit hub. They should have built tracks that would have brought Amtrak and FrontRunner and possibly even trax into the basement of the UP Depot. What a better place to have a transit hub than in a transit station. Bringing a once great station back to life as a transit hub for an entire metro area would have been magnificent. Imagine arriving on a plane at SLC international, taking Trax to a historic downtown Depot and transfering onto FrontRunner to head north or South or continuing on trax into the CBD or up to the University.

Imagine thousands of additional people spilling into Gateway every day simply as a result of FrontRunner. Boyer needed to simply look 7 years ahead in order to envision it. Case in point, Isn't FrontRunner dropping passengers off at the Ogden Depot?

I've agreed with you on this one before Future Mayor. I think it is just the astronomical costs of putting the Freight/Front Runner tracks below grade. If that were not an issue, I would have loved to see them run below 500 West, or maybe even the Front Runner portion below Rio Grande street. That way you could use both the UP Depot or the Rio Grand Depot if needs be. Sadly Front Runner does not direcly stop at the Ogden depot, but a block North with 100% less charm (Much like the Intermodal hub a block West of the Rio Grande Depot).

Personally I always thought 400 West was the best location for completing a downtown TRAX loop. But It seems every time I look at whats now on the drawing board the alignments have become more and more convoluted, which I think eventually becomes a deterrent to using the system at all.

The best choice for this neighborhood is to rebuild the North Temple viaduct for several reasons:

1) It shortens the North Temple viaduct by a block.
2) Eliminates the need to construct an ADDITIONAL viaduct over freight tracks on 600 West.
3) Could potentially create a visible pleasing gateway into downtown.
4) Allows for a transfer station at North Temple for inbound Front Runner trains from the North.


One of the commentors summed it up with the statement "Build a bridge that unites us, not divides us."

[urbanboy]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Imagine thousands of additional people spilling into Gateway every day simply as a result of FrontRunner. Boyer needed to simply look 7 years ahead in order to envision it. Case in point, Isn't FrontRunner dropping passengers off at the Ogden Depot?

Now with City Creek Center coming on line in several years, Boyer is going to wish he did just that. Serves him right!