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he greater Salt Lake Area , carries the nickname “Crossroads of the West” because it is located equidistant |
from all major western markets. Its transportation system provides ideal conditions for manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution facilities serving the Intermountain west.
In coming years, major transportation improvements are planned for Utah’s highway, transit, and air travel system.
Mass Transit
Utah Transit Authority (UTA) offers convenient public transportation along the Wasatch Front. With a 1,400 square mile service area spanning six counties, UTA provides public transit to about 80 percent of Utah’s population and some of the state’s largest communities. Services provided by UTA include TRAX light rail in Salt Lake County, an inter-county fixed-route bus system, and Flextrans, the agency’s paratransit operation that provides 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 301 vanpools.
Each day, more than 83,000 people use UTA’s fixed route bus service. In addition, on a daily basis over 50,000 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, will open in 2008. UTA is also pursuing an expanded light rail system with extensions in 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.
International Airport
The Salt Lake City International Airport is within 2.5 hours from half of the nation’s population. The airport—situated just 10 minutes west of Salt Lake City—serves about 22 million passengers annually and ranks as the twenty-seventh largest airport in the nation.
The easy to access facility consists of two terminals, five concourses and approximately 80 gates. Wireless Internet service is available throughout the airport.
American, Atlantic Southeast, Continental, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Northwest, Salmon Air, Shuttle America, SkyWest, Southwest, United Airlines and US Airways operate 800 scheduled daily flights to about 100 nonstop destinations. In 2005 Salt Lake City International was ranked first in the nation for on-time departures and second for on-time arrivals 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. |
Interstate Highways
Utah’s transportation system includes 43,542 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.
Railways
On May 10, 1869, the Golden Spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Today, about 1,452 miles of railroad track stretch throughout Utah. There are two Class One (major) rail services operating in Utah, Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway. In addition, there are two local and two switching railroads serving the state. Utah remains as the crossroads for all Intermountain West operations with five mainline routes converging on the Salt Lake-Ogden area. Utah is an excellent interline switching route for West Coast shipments and for Eastern and Midwestern terminals. 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 the new Intermodal Transportation Center.
Air Freight
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 422 million pounds of air cargo and airmail. Over the past 10 years, air cargo volumes at the airport have grown at an annual average rate of 8.2 percent. The growth in cargo activity has necessitated the development of a new cargo area, which is located north of the terminals.
Motor Freight
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. Daily direct service from Utah’s metropolitan areas to all major cities in the continental U.S. and Canada is available through these carriers. Most of these carriers have unused load capacities and are able to handle increased service demands for their equipment.
Customs Port of Entry
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.
Salt Lake City International Airport has the capacity to handle more than 200 arriving international passengers per hour.
The Future
The Salt Lake Chamber formed The 2015 Transportation Alliance to advocate for accelerated funding of transportation initiatives. While the Utah Legislature has done much already 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. |
