SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Transit Authority released a new development plan on Friday with a goal of dramatically increasing frequency along its routes.
But some of the agency's ambitious ideas could take billions of dollars to make a reality.
The "UTA Moves 2050" plan outlines goals in 10-year increments. UTA's own public opinion surveys show the top thing people want is more frequent buses and trains.
"More frequent service, the kind of service that makes it possible for people to use transit without planning their day around when the bus comes or when the train comes. That’s a big one," said Alex Beim, a planner for UTA.
UTA has already started implementing some of the plan, but it has larger goals. From 2023-2032, the agency plans for:
- Frontrunner extended to Payson
- Sunday service and expanded weekend service
- 15-minute service at peak times
- Upgraded bus routes systemwide
- 'Innovative Mobility Zones' in new areas
- Improved Trax service in downtown Salt Lake City
"We anticipate and hope that with this potential Olympic bid it helps accelerate those transit improvements," Biem told FOX 13 News on Friday.
From 2033-2042, some of UTA's goals include:
- A new "Orange Line" from the Salt Lake City International Airport to University of Utah's Research Park
- A rapid bus transit corridor in Utah County
- Transit options within a half-mile of 500,000 people
"When you get to 15 minute or better service? It becomes so much more attractive that you tend to get more people. Now it also depends on a lot of things that are out of our control," Biem said. "Land use, so we really work with all the cities to see where they’re developing and growing in a transit-supportive way because the communities need to walkable. When you get off the bus you need to be able to walk to your destination."
The goals from 2043 to 2050 are less clearly defined, with ambitions to enhance service, particularly in the southern part of Salt Lake County. Biem said the plan would be reviewed over the next few years to adapt to changing circumstances.
A lack of bus service in southwestern Salt Lake County has become a political issue. Fed up with service issues, lawmakers passed a bill this year to dip into transit tax dollars to force some service to come to communities like Herriman, Bluffdale and Riverton. Currently, UTA does offer a micro-transit service in that area.
Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who has been a vocal critic of UTA over its lack of service in his community, said Friday that he was disappointed.
"We're not getting what the taxpayer's paying for here," he told FOX 13 News following a Friday rally for his U.S. Senate campaign. "It's just unfortunate because even their own surveys at UTA show that the area that's needed the most is right here, and yet..."
The UTA Moves 2050 report avoids wading into topics like the gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon, statewide commuter rail service or dropping roads and trains underground in the Rio Grande neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
UTA's goals could ultimately cost billions of dollars. The Utah State Legislature has already budgeted for double-tracking Frontrunner lines to increase train frequency, and the Olympics and stadium developments planned in Salt Lake City could also see more funding shifted to transit options.
"There is a cost for transit but it also gives you an economic return both in time savings and reduction of congestion on freeways, but in movement of goods and economic development in Utah," Biem said. "And it makes Utah a more attractive place to be."
