Salt Lake City | Transit and Airport Developments

[miketoronto]

Has the modal share for transit in Salt Lake gone up since the LRT and other transit improvments have gone into effect?

[northbay]

Originally Posted by delts145

'North Temple Line' moves Forward

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...234411,00.html

Its destination is Salt Lake City International Airport, but Luke Garrott prefers to call it the "North Temple line."

After all, construction of a new light-rail line is not just about getting people to and from the airport, the Salt Lake City councilman said. It's also about neighborhood building on the city's west side.

"We want to make the North Temple line as neighborhood-friendly and as much of a positive catalyst for the city as possible," Garrott said. "It's a great opportunity."

alright - so does this mean that construction has started on the west valley line, the mid-jordan line AND the airport line??

what transportation agency (with only 2 lines of lrt in service) can afford to construct three lines at once? this sounds too good to be true

[Makid]

The West Valley Line and the South Jordan line are currently under construction. The North Temple (Airport) line will begin construction later this year.

The Frontrunner South extension for the Commuter rail line should be underconstruction by December of this year.

For the Trax extensions, only the Draper extension will not be under construction by the end of the year.

[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Has the modal share for transit in Salt Lake gone up since the LRT and other transit improvments have gone into effect?

I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but it has certainly gone up in the past 10 years since the first light rail line opened. Most of the people riding the train today were not riding the bus before light and commuter rail were added. Most of the people I know that are riding the new Frontrunner train (Including myself) were driving to work before it opened a few months ago.

Originally Posted by northbay420

alright - so does this mean that construction has started on the west valley line, the mid-jordan line AND the airport line??

what transportation agency (with only 2 lines of lrt in service) can afford to construct three lines at once? this sounds too good to be true

Yes; by the end of the year, there will be 4 lines under construction, and 5 new lines should be finished by 2015, as part of UTA's Frontlines 2015 project:

http://www.rideuta.com/projects/fron.../overview.aspx

[delts145]

New FrontRunner commuter rail in foreground with new Gateway District in background.

Originally Posted by Viperlord

I like this image...

photos courtesy of James Belmont. Awesome photos James.

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[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by northbay420

alright - so does this mean that construction has started on the west valley line, the mid-jordan line AND the airport line??

what transportation agency (with only 2 lines of lrt in service) can afford to construct three lines at once? this sounds too good to be true

Denver is in a big push right now aswell. It helps when citizens approve a $4 billion dollar ballot measure to get things moving fast!

[PhxSprawler]

Originally Posted by northbay420

alright - so does this mean that construction has started on the west valley line, the mid-jordan line AND the airport line??

what transportation agency (with only 2 lines of lrt in service) can afford to construct three lines at once? this sounds too good to be true

The lines are being placed on existing track lines and existing right of ways through most of their paths, which is a clear advantage to the area. Imagine what could be done with limited NIMBY's, emminent domain, environmental impacts, etc, then add high gas prices to it and a proven case of light rail success.

No city in the U.S. could ask for a better situation.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by northbay420

alright - so does this mean that construction has started on the west valley line, the mid-jordan line AND the airport line??

what transportation agency (with only 2 lines of lrt in service) can afford to construct three lines at once? this sounds too good to be true

Houston, TX is. 6 lines (1 being an extension) at once, around 40 miles of light rail and 25 miles of commuter rail.

Yay TRAX

[northbay]

Originally Posted by alexjon

Houston, TX is. 6 lines (1 being an extension) at once, around 40 miles of light rail and 25 miles of commuter rail.

Yay TRAX

yea, but have they actually started construction? i thought houston has only actually started construction on one new line - tho yes, i know they have a very ambitious expansion plan. so um, yay

[delts145]

Originally Posted by PhxSprawler

The lines are being placed on existing track lines and existing right of ways through most of their paths, which is a clear advantage to the area. Imagine what could be done with limited NIMBY's, emminent domain, environmental impacts, etc, then add high gas prices to it and a proven case of light rail success.

No city in the U.S. could ask for a better situation.

Good points PhxSprawler, That pretty well sums a lot of it up for Salt Lake City's good fortune with mass transit.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by northbay420

yea, but have they actually started construction? i thought houston has only actually started construction on one new line - tho yes, i know they have a very ambitious expansion plan. so um, yay

Well, they want them done in a few years so they'll all be going at once

[delts145]

MAX-TRAX service to begin at station

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...242872,00.html


The Utah Transit Authority will host a grand opening event at 210 W. 3300 South Monday morning to welcome the new MAX rapid transit line. The transportation corridor extends 10 miles along 3500 South and connects West Valley and Magna residents to the Millcreek TRAX station.

European-style fast bus coming to Metro Salt Lake City
-This rapid transit line to Magna will operate much like TRAX

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9866065


The Utah Transit Authority shows off its new "Bus Rapid Transit" (BRT), nicknamed "MAX," at the TRAX Millcreek Station at 3300 south Friday. (Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune )

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[delts145]

TOD'S - Commuter Rail Transforming a Metro

...FrontRunner will be the showpiece for Public Transportation in Utah and the Intermountain region. Layton City is excited to be a part of the project that will change transportation in Utah for generations to come.

FrontRunner locomotive #5 at Layton Station



http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...245695,00.html

From the worst in town to the best. That's how the developers of Fort Lane Village view their plan for reinventing the old shopping center at Fort Lane and Gentile streets.

Related: - Layton OKs housing units

Residential growth has slowed down in Davis County's largest city as it has in most municipalities these days. However, the City Council has approved the development of another 65 housing units.

...the council gave the OK for 56 single and two-family residential units at 312 W. Gentile St., as part of the Town Homes of Gentile project.

Also approved were another nine units as part of phase one of the Angel Street Town Homes project at 1400 N. Angel St.

The Gentile Street project is on 4.8 acres and proposes a density of 11.5 units per acre.

"It's a good location for some higher density residential," said Bill Wright, Layton's community development director.

He said this project is across the street (north) of Layton Elementary School and just west of the Union Pacific railroad tracks. It also includes some old vacant business buildings, where the original Tanner Clinic was and where the Jesus People's Ministry used to be housed.

Zoning was changed from professional business and residential-suburban to a denser R-2 zone.

"This will be good for that area," Mayor Steve Curtis said.

Six of the units in the development are slated to face Gentile Street, but Layton city staff wants those to have their garages and street access elsewhere and off that busy street.

Councilman Renny Knowlton said he's noticed that single home development has slowed down a lot recently.
"I see we're headed more toward towards condos and townhouses," he said.

The Angel Street project is being developed by Trophy Homes and is located just north of Kohl's Department store and south of the Mountain View Mobile Home Park..

Wright said these are two and three-bedroom developments on two floors in a 1,300- to 1,500-square-foot unit plan.

FrontRunner changing face of Old Downtown Layton


Rendering of the Laton Commuter Rail Station

The Layton Commuter Rail Station has taken shape. The FrontRunner Commuter Rail line will run from Pleasant View in Weber County to Downtown Salt Lake City. The 44-mile line will have stations in eight cities and a trip time of under one-hour. The Diesel/Electric Locomotive is capable of reaching speeds above 75 MPH and feature's BI-level Cabin Cars and Gallery Cars.

The Layton Commuter Rail Station is located north of the I-15 and Main Street interchange and southwest of the Main Street and Gentile Street intersection. The Station include's a park and ride lot that enable's patrons easy access to the Commuter Rail. The design for the Station includes many user comforts and also amenities that will beautify the area.

In addition to the new Station, UDOT is also doing a study for a proposed Interchange that would be built near the Station. Layton City has designated the area as a Redevelopment Project Area and is focusing on bringing new business to the area and revitalizing existing infrastructure. There is a lot of interest in Old Downtown and the area is poised to become a major attraction along the Commuter Rail Line.

FrontRunner will be the showpiece for Public Transportation in Utah and the Intermountain region. Layton City is excited to be a part of the project that will change transportation in Utah for generations to come.
.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Sugar House
Council votes 5-0 to run streetcar along 2300 South
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 07/24/2008 12:37:03 AM MDT

In a 5-0 vote, the City Council adopted a joint resolution with Mayor Ralph Becker to forge ahead with a low-speed Sugar House streetcar to be funded by the capital, Utah Transit Authority and South Salt Lake.
After an environmental study, the plan calls for a streetcar to run along a two-mile stretch of 2300 South between UTA's Central Pointe station on 200 West and Highland Drive's Granite Block development. The public trolley will stop every two blocks. The city plans to preserve enough space alongside the street car for a pedestrian and bicycle trail.
"I don't anticipate this will change bus service along 2100 South," Councilman Soren Simonsen said. - Derek P. Jensen

Trolley Line


From Here.... Under Construction - South Salt Lake's new Market Station TOD

















To Here... Sugarhouse District...



related story;

By Cathy McKitrick
The Salt Lake Tribune

SOUTH SALT LAKE - About six years ago, Douglas White got the idea to restore trolley travel from South Salt Lake to Sugar House along an old Union Pacific rail line.
Today, that notion has become a full-blown obsession, White said. And with the Salt Lake Valley's growing transit needs, his concept is starting to gather traction.
The old track, now owned by Utah Transit Authority, runs along 2200 South from 1100 East to 250 West - a 1.8-mile route linking Sugar House to the planned Market Station development in South Salt Lake.
"I've had discussions with South Salt Lake and UTA. G.J. LaBonty [of UTA] informed me we're officially one of their alternatives to be considered," White said, adding that UTA's transit alternative study for the Sugar House spur is just getting underway.
Monday night, White outlined his vision of a locally-sponsored streetcar system to a handful of interested folks at South Salt Lake's Pioneer Craft House.
By setting up a cooperative between White's Sugar House Trolley Association, UTA, Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Salt Lake County and other interested entities, White said he hopes to avoid "the red tape that occurs when you go Federal."
He has a lead on several streetcar options - for $25,000 a company in England will ship him a refurbished hybrid vehicle he can lease for $1 a year.
Thebattery-charged vehicle would recharge as it travels every half mile, stop every quarter mile and top out at speeds of 20 to 25 mph, White said.
Other options include refurbishing much older streetcars, such as the Bamberger, which used to run from Preston, Idaho, south to Price - and now sits idle at Ogden's Union Station.
White estimates the project's total cost at $8 million.
"It would cost $40 million to put in a light-rail system along that route. This would provide the same service for much less, and would double as a tourist attraction," he said.
The Parley's Rails, Trails and Tunnels Coalition (PRATT) hopes to install a trail along the Sugar House spur as part of the 8-mile Parleys Creek Corridor Trail. The trail and single-line transit could coexist in the same transit corridor, White said.
"It's a great idea - it would be the best utilization for all areas up and down that trail, serving as a great community tie-in along the whole route," said Emil Kmet, a Sugar House community council member.

More information can be found at www.sugarhousetrolley.org
cmckitrick@sltrib.com
SugarHouse Trolley and other Utah Trams, Trolleys, Light Rail info

[matguy7070]

Just was in Salt Lake. Man this city is a Mormon haven. I think the church runs the entire city... I know that is a generalization - but seems pretty ture.

Anyway, The TRAX system is very slow and I found that it is really underused - or at least seemed that way on a weekday. I did like the new Commuter Rail line - how are the numbers on it to date?

[Future Mayor]

It is afterall the Headquarters of a world wide church, thus the influence. Anyway, what time of day were you riding trax? The ridership numbers are actually pretty high for Trax, according to the Deseret Morning News, with the new counting system ridership in 2007 averaged 40,294 riders per weekday. May numbers for FrontRunner were 6,419 and in June they rose 26% to 7,809. Not bad considering it was just over a month and half old. I would estimate that both ridership numbers have increased in the past several month due to rising gas prices. I would also suspect that many of those 7,809 FrontRunner riders are also new Trax riders, even if only 50% of them then road trax that would bump trax ridership to over 44,000. I would guess closer to 75% FrontRunner riders transfer to Trax.

[SpongeG]

wasn't the lightrail kind of not warmly welcomed in SLC when it was first brought up? prior to the olympics?

I kinda remember hearing so much negativty against it and it being a waste and wouldn't be useful after the olympics etc...

seems like its done very well despite the nay-sayers

nice to see

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

wasn't the lightrail kind of not warmly welcomed in SLC when it was first brought up? prior to the olympics?

I kinda remember hearing so much negativty against it and it being a waste and wouldn't be useful after the olympics etc...

seems like its done very well despite the nay-sayers

nice to see

Yes you are correct. UTA pursued light rail for 10+ years and if I remember correctly it finally passed on the 2nd or 3rd funding referendum. There were many many skeptics saying that nobody would right it. When is opened in 1999 they estimated that to be successful they would need and could attract about 15,000 riders a day. The first year totals were more around 21,000 a day if I recall correctly and they are obviously well beyond that now. It is amazing at the sheer volume of people that have embraced Trax in Salt Lake County, even many of those that have never and will never use it and insist on driving realize that those estimated 40,000 + riders take a lot of cars off the road.

It is apparent that it has been embraced as attributed to yet again another tax referendum on the 06 ballot that raised sales tax to pay for transportation projects with the majority being focused on transit including Trax and FrontRunner. That tax is being initiated quickly as seen by two lines currently under construction and a third by the end of the year.

Very progressive for such a conservative population base.

[blockski]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Very progressive for such a conservative population base.

These kinds of associations on the national level of politics tend to break down at the local level.

[Cirrus]

wasn't the lightrail kind of not warmly welcomed in SLC... I kinda remember hearing so much negativty against it...seems like its done very well despite the nay-sayers...nice to see

That happens everywhere. Before you start there are naysaysers everywhere, then once the thing gets built everybody loves it and the agency can't expand fast enough. The pattern is the same in city after city after city.