Salt Lake City welcomes FrontRunner South

The length of Salt Lake City's commuter rail network almost doubled on February 22, when Utah Transit Authority (UTA) opened its FrontRunner South extension from Salt Lake Central to Provo.

Construction began in August 2008 on the 45 mile line, which parallels the existing Union Pacific freight line south of the city into Utah County, with six new park-and-ride stations.

With a maximum line speed of 79 miles per hour, the journey time between Salt Lake Central and Provo is around an hour and ridership is expected to reach around 8,000 passengers per day by 2015.

The project is part of UTA's Front Lines 2015 program, which will add 69 miles to Salt Lake City's 63 mile commuter rail and light rail network by 2015. International Railway Journal

Utah Senate committee debates prison relocation

Utah lawmakers are considering a plan to relocate the state prison in southwest Salt Lake County.

Sen. Scott Jenkins introduced legislation that creates an authority to manage the relocation of the Utah State Prison and evaluate proposals from companies seeking to build a new prison or develop the old site.

The Utah State Prison occupies about 700 acres in Draper where tech companies such as eBay and Microsoft have opened offices.

Gov. Gary Herbert has called on lawmakers to fund the relocation so the corridor can develop as a technology hub. State officials have been weighing relocation for several years.

The Utah State Prison was built in 1951 and houses about 4,500 inmates. Before that, Utah's state prison was at what is now Sugar House Park.

The state also operates a prison in Gunnison, the Central Utah Correctional Facility.

The goal is to get the legislation passed quickly so the authority can get up and running by April 15, as required by the bill, Sen. Scott Jenkins said.

The authority would then seek proposals from companies and come back to the Legislature and governor with a viable option.

It's unlikely any proposal would be ready to come before the Legislature by the time next year's session concludes, but the governor could convene lawmakers in a special session to approve the plan.

Some of the possible sites that have been considered for the new prison are in northwest Utah _ specifically Box Elder County, Juab County and Tooele County. Cache Valley Daily

UTA proposes big changes for bus routes

The Utah Transit Authority is proposing to change all of its bus routes in Utah County — and many in Salt Lake City — to allow better connections with the new FrontRunner commuter rail section between Salt Lake City and Provo that is scheduled to open Dec. 10.

That includes eliminating all express buses between Utah and Salt Lake counties, and creating or altering local routes to take riders to FrontRunner instead. UTA says that will allow local service circulating around Utah County communities to increase by 17 percent.

Many changes are also coming to downtown Salt Lake City, which is scheduled to open a second FrontRunner station in December at the North Temple viaduct — on the present section of FrontRunner that runs from Ogden to Salt Lake, which will connect with the new section to Provo. The North Temple site also will connect to the new airport TRAX line when it opens in April. Salt Lake Tribune

FrontRunner South to begin service in December, will impact bus routes

The FrontRunner South rail line, which goes from Salt Lake City to Provo, will be up and running on Dec. 10, according to the Utah Transit Authority.

The new service will likely cause a lot of changes to Utah County bus routes, and UTA wants the public's help in deciding what those changes should be.

Construction on the FrontRunner line to Provo is 90 percent completed, running parallel to I-15 from Salt Lake City to Provo. In addition to four stops in Utah County, FrontRunner South will also have stops in South Jordan and Murray. The agency projects 7,500 passengers will ride the train each day.

Modifications to bus routes may happen in Provo, Orem, American Fork and Lehi to accommodate the FrontRunner stations. Deseret News

Lane reductions causing gridlock in Utah County

Drivers between Lindon and Lehi are often finding themselves stuck in traffic, especially during the morning and afternoon commutes. The major area of focus on the project this summer will be in Orem.

But the news isn’t all bad. Motorists who are getting stuck in traffic right now will be rewarded in just three months. The northbound section of freeway will be completely finished and opened from Lindon to Lehi.

UDOT plans to have the freeway in American Fork opened back to four lanes in each direction by April 11. Deseret News

Growth and improvement efforts aim to help Utah Lake make a comeback

A century ago Utah Lake was a destination spot dotted with leisure resorts, a jewel surrounded by mountains. But a series of unsavory events decade after decade turned the lake into something to stay away from.

But now, after decades of pushing people away, Utah Lake just might be staging a comeback. With a community like Saratoga Springs pushing for a lakefront lifestyle, it just may be that Utah Lake’s time has finally arrived.

Provo has a "Vision 2030" plan that is a community planning document looking forward another 18 years. The city is also in the process of creating a recreation master plan. The lake, in 2030, is likely to be ringed by even more residential and commercial development. Reclaimed beaches, better looking water and more sustainable fisheries could once again attract lakeside resort development. Deseret News

Highland optimistic cave visitors center will become reality

Timpanogos Cave has needed a new visitors center -- fire destroyed the visitors center in 1991, and a temporary trailer has been used since -- but Highland Mayor Lynn Ritchie understands how hard it has been to get congressional consideration for funding.

Four of the proposed options proposed in an open house, call for a new visitors center to be built at the mouth of the canyon. And all four also call for a second, smaller "visitors facility" to be built at the trailhead, replacing the existing visitors center.

The government owns 37 acres at the mouth of the canyon, purchased by order of Congress, but Congress has never given funding for the new building to put on the property. The facility would jointly house the cave visitors center and headquarters, and National Forest Service offices and staff. Daily Herald

Utah County I-15 rebuild may cost $200M less than expected

The massive reconstruction of Interstate 15 in Utah County — scheduled to wrap up late this year — may cost $200 million less than its original $1.73 billion overall budget, highway officials told legislators Friday.

Lawmakers said that $200 million could help the state save even more by avoiding some planned borrowing this year through bonding. In fact, Utah would save $66 million over the life of those bonds, said Mark Bleazard, fiscal analyst for the Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee. Salt Lake Tribune

For more information about this project, check out this site.

Regents green-light UVU bond sale for student life center

The state Board of Regents on Wednesday authorized Utah Valley University to sell up to $59 million in bonds to finance its proposed Student Life and Wellness Building and a 534-stall parking structure.The UVU bond sale is intended to address a crushing lack of student space at the fast-growing Orem school, according to Val Peterson, UVU vice president for finance and administration. The 170,000-square-foot life and wellness building, which would cost $40 million, will help keep UVU students on campus when they are not in class and promote their extracurricular involvement in school.  Salt Lake Tribune

Eagle Mountain begins process for new city building

City officials expect to send out requests for construction bids on an Eagle Mountain municipal energy building at the first of the new year. They hope to break ground sometime in March with completion in the fall 2012. Eagle Mountain has been in need of a new energy building for some time, and city leaders approved the purchase of 5 acres for $497,000 to remedy the situation last fall. As part of the purchase, the city received 1.153 acres in addition as a gift. The lot is located on the west side of South Pony Express Boulevard adjacent to the current Public Works building. Daily Herald

Construction work starting at Point of the Mountain for Murdock canal enclosure project

Heavy machinery is being used at Point of the Mountain on both sides of I-15 for a very complicated construction project directly below the freeway. The construction is part of a $150 million pipeline that will completely enclose what is now an open canal. The 21-mile canal was built in 1911 to carry water from the Provo River to irrigators and municipalities in Salt Lake County. It was enlarged in the 1940s. Officially, it is named the Provo Reservoir Canal, but for people living nearby, it's always been known as the Murdock Canal. Deseret News

Utah County road project moving ahead

The federal government has given the go-ahead for construction of a new thoroughfare that would give Utah County drivers improved access to the west side of I-15. The Obama administration has put the proposed Provo Westside Connector on a fast-track for federal approval.

Construction of the new roadway from the I-15 University Avenue interchange to Provo Airport could start in about a year. The Provo Westside Connector is one of 14 projects nationwide that the government deemed would help boost the economy in targeted areas. Provo area planners said the expedited federal review would give the three-mile project a jumpstart. Deseret News

CUP ready to lay pipeline in North Provo

For the next two years, the Central Utah Project will be constructing a pipeline along north University Avenue. For six miles along the east side of University Avenue starting at the BYU flag football fields going north, CUP will be laying 60-inch pipe underground that will bring water from Strawberry Reservoir to residents in Salt Lake County. The project is planned for construction beginning in the next few weeks through September 2013. Daily Herald

Provo rec center officially under construction

Dignitaries and invited guests turned the dirt where soon there will be one of the largest recreational facilities in the Intermountain West

Voters approved a $39 million bond to build the new facility last November. After a competitive process, the city hired a team to design and build the project. The architect is a partnership between VCBO Architecture of Salt Lake City and Barker Rinker Seacat of Denver. Sandy-based Layton Construction is the general contractor. Daily Herald

Feds help pay for Utah’s flood damage

Utah will receive federal aid to pay for this spring’s flood damage. President Barack Obama signed a Utah disaster declaration and ordered federal funds to supplement the recovery effort from flooding between April 18 and July 16.

The funds are available to state, tribal and eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the counties of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch and Weber, and the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The state could be eligible for $9.5 million in federal aid. Salt Lake Tribune

Park City-Salt Lake City bus service approved

All partners are now on board to begin public bus service between Park City and Salt Lake City, and they are aiming for an Oct. 2 start. The Utah Transit Authority board and the Summit County Council both adopted in separate meetings on Wednesday an interlocal agreement for the service.Park City previously approved it.

All three parties agree to partially subsidize the service at first. "We hope this will be paid for primarily by fares, but we realize that it will take some time to grow the market," said Jerry Benson, chief operating officer for UTA. Salt Lake Tribune

New hydropower project announced for Utah

The federal government announced plans for a new Utah hydropower plant in Spanish Fork Canyon. It is the third such project of its kind in the country under a new push by the Department of Interior. The development at the Central Utah Project's Spanish Fork flow control facility would tap the money of private investors to accelerate the installation of an eight megawatt facility.

The government will publish a "notice of intent" in the federal register this week, paving the way for private development companies to submit proposals. A review team will then spend about five months determining the best candidate, with the selection anticipated to be made by Oct. 14. Deseret News

Provo council approves $39M bond for rec center

A new recreation center is finally coming to Provo. Municipal Council members on Tuesday approved a $39 million bond issue to pay for the project backed by two mayors and endorsed by city residents in a November vote. Deseret News

A liquor store may be closing near you

Despite record profits, lawmakers have ordered the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to slash its budget by $2.2 million. If the governor approves the reduction, liquor-control commissioners say they would be forced to close stores and lay off workers.

At least nine state stores along the Wasatch Front and in Park City likely would be closed and more than 150 liquor store workers laid off. Hours could be drastically reduced at the remaining liquor stores, which just two years ago were open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Soon, store hours are likely to be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or noon to 8 p.m. Salt Lake Tribune

Lindon sets out to begin working on senior center

Lindon is gearing up to use $100,000 in donated cash to build the city's first senior center. Last fall, Lindon was given a $100,000 donation by a resident for the project. The city had already paid $700,000 for what is affectionately called the "Red Church" to turn it into a community center. The $100,000 donation will be coupled with a $212,000 federal grant.

Last week, the city made contract documents available for the project and will award a bid contract on Feb. 24. Construction is slated to begin the first week of March, and be completed in June, said Dan Seder, Parks and Recreation director for the city. Daily Herald