Transportation

You can get there from here easier than almost anywhere else. Transportation is the catalyst for economic growth and therefore at the forefront of key issues in the Salt Lake area.

Utah is home to CommuterLink, an advanced intelligent transportation system that reduces congestion and increases efficiency. The system saves taxpayers over $100 million annually and reduces carbon monoxide emissions by an estimated 5.1 million kilograms per year.

The Salt Lake area, or Wasatch Front, is known as the “Crossroads of the West,” and is located equidistant from all major western markets. An east-west, north-south interstate highway system, three railroads, and an international airport provide the state with an efficient transportation system and ideal conditions for manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution facilities. Salt Lake is also an important regional trade and shipping center to the Rocky Mountain region and the West Coast.

Utah Transit Authority (UTA) offers convenient public transportation to 75 percent of Utah’s population. Services include TRAX light rail in Salt Lake County, an inter-county fixed-route bus system, and Flextrans (curb-to-curb transportation for riders with disabilities). UTA also offers service to local ski areas during the winter months and has a compre­hen­sive Rideshare program featuring more than 255 vanpools.

Each day, more than 82,000 people use UTA’s fixed route bus service, which consists of 135 routes and a fleet of 600 buses. In addition, on a daily basis over 44,000 people ride UTA’s TRAX light rail system.

Additional public transportation projects planned for the future include high-speed commuter rail from the northern Utah community of Brigham City to Utah County. The first commuter rail segment, from Weber County to downtown Salt Lake City, recently completed the environmental process and will begin construction summer 2005, opening in 2008. UTA is also pursuing an expanded light rail system with extensions in the Salt Lake suburbs of West Valley City, Midvale, West Jordan, South Jordan, and to Salt Lake City International Airport.

Light rail, commuter rail and bus service are considered part of a balanced transportation approach to address problems associated with growth and traffic congestion along the Wasatch Front. UTA was recognized in 2002 by the American Public Transportation Association as the nation’s best public transit system.

Utah’s transportation system includes 42,716 miles of federal, state, and local highways and roads. Interstate 80 (east to New York City/west to San Francisco), Interstate 15 (north to Canada /south to Mexico) and Interstate 70 (east to Denver) are vital to the efficient movement of goods and materials throughout the region. Both I-80 and I-15 con­verge in Salt Lake, allowing convenient access to the Wasatch Front and points beyond. The I-215 belt route offers expanded access along the eastern and western perimeters of
the valley.

The Salt Lake City International Airport is within 2.5 hours from half of the nation’s population. The airport—situated just west of Salt Lake City and about 10 minutes from downtown—serves about 18 million passengers annually and ranks as the twenty-sixth largest airport in the nation.

AeroMexico, America West, America West Express, American, Atlantic Southeast, Continental Express, Continental, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Northwest, Salmon Air, SkyWest, Southwest, United Express, and United Airlines operate 928 scheduled daily flights to about 86 nonstop destinations. The airport is consistently ranked in the top ten U.S. airports for on-time performance by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Salt Lake City is Delta Air Lines’ third largest hub. Along with commuter partners, SkyWest and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, they operate 379 scheduled daily departures.

On May 10, 1869, the Golden Spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Today, about 2,068 miles of railroad track stretch throughout Utah; all lines converging in the Salt Lake-Ogden metropolitan area. The merged Southern Pacific and Union Pacific provide freight service in and through Utah. Amtrak provides daily passenger service on the California Zephyr to and from points through­out the United States. Amtrak trains arrive at and depart from a new Intermodal Transportation Center being built in Salt Lake City’s Gateway area. The first phase of the Center will be opening July 2005 with com­muter rail service is expected to begin in 2008.

Air freight service in the Salt Lake area puts shippers within hours of any point in the nation. Over 15 cargo carriers handle more than 550 million pounds of air cargo and airmail.

The trucking industry employs more than 75,000 people in Utah. There are more than 2,000 interstate and intrastate motor freight carriers with operations in the state.

Salt Lake City is a full-service customs
port city, making it a center for warehousing and distribution. Goods that enter under
bond may be stored in customs-bonded facilities for up to five years without payment of customs duty.

The Salt Lake Chamber recently created a Transportation Committee whose objective is to continue to advocate for adequate funding of transportation initiatives. While the Utah Legislature has done much already in 2005 to increase funding, much more needs to be done to maintain and even improve our transportation infrastructure. To keep things growing, we must keep things flowing.