Transportation in Salt Lake City
Transportation in Salt Lake City consists of a wide network of roads, an extensive bus system, a light rail system, and a commuter rail line. Although Salt Lake City, Utah, is a traditionally car-oriented city (as are most other cities in the western United States), the rapidly growing public transit system has a high number of riders for a city of its size, and public transit is widely supported by its residents and businesses.
Nearly all public transit in the city is operated by the Utah Transit Authority. In addition to operating the bus system, it also operates the TRAX light rail system, which contains three lines, the first of which runs from downtown south to Draper, the second runs from University of Utah southwest to South Jordan, and the third from the Salt Lake City International Airport east through downtown and then southwest to West Valley City. A commuter rail line, called the FrontRunner, runs north through Davis County to Ogden in central Weber County and south to Provo in central Utah County. UTA also operates a streetcar line that connects the Sugar House neighborhood with the TRAX system in South Salt Lake. The road system is also extensive, with three interstate highways, two additional state freeways, a limited-access highway, and a third state freeway under development/construction. However, the geographic constrictions of the Salt Lake Valley, as well as its rapid population growth, have led to severe congestion problems.
Roads
Two major
Interstate 215, known as the "Belt Route", forms a 270° loop around Salt Lake City and its first-ring suburbs. It enters the Rose Park neighborhood in northwestern Salt Lake City from Davis County (where it recently split from I-15) and continues south, intersecting I-80 and State Route 201 before turning east in Taylorsville, intersecting I-15 in Murray, and turning north in Holladay. From there it parallels the Wasatch Range through the affluent residential eastern suburbs before ending at I-80 at the mouth of Parley's Canyon. This belt route largely serves as a commuter route for the suburbs.
The
Bangerter Highway (
Another major roadway through the valley is State Street, which is the portion of US-89 that runs due south through the valley from Downtown Salt Lake City to Draper, before connecting with I-15.
Public Transit
There are several modes of public transportation, nearly all of which are operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA).
Light Rail (TRAX)
TRAX is a 50-station, 45-mile (72 km)
Commuter Rail (the FrontRunner)
The FrontRunner (so named because it runs along the Wasatch Front urban corridor), is a 16-station, 88-mile (142 km) commuter rail line that runs from Ogden to Provo through Salt Lake City.[7] By 2040, it is expected to extend from Brigham City in Box Elder County to Santaquin in southern Utah County, the approximate extents of the Wasatch Front. Construction on the first segment, between Salt Lake City and Pleasant View (just north of Ogden) began on August 10, 2005 and was opened north to Ogden on April 26, 2008.[8] The FrontRunner was extended to Pleasant View station on September 29, 2008, offering morning and evening service past Ogden. Although service north of Ogden was cancelled in August 2018. The FrontRunner South extension south to Provo (in central Utah County) opened for service on December 10, 2012.
Bus
UTA also runs the
Transit service (bus and light rail) is free within Downtown Salt Lake City and the adjacent area up to the State Capitol, UTA refers to this area as its Free Fare Zone.[9]
Streetcar
For several years city officials have been studying the idea of building a modern
Air
Salt Lake City is serviced by the Salt Lake City International Airport and serves as a hub for Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection partner SkyWest Airlines.[15] The airport offers non-stop domestic and international flights to cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Amsterdam, London, Vancouver, Calgary, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Cancun, and Paris.[16] A regional airport, known as South Valley Regional Airport (formerly known as Salt Lake Airport 2), is located in West Jordan and serves as a general aviation and military helicopter training airport.
Passenger rail & bus
.
Taxi
Three
See also
References
- ^ "Facts About I-15 Reconstruction". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012 – via web.archive.org.
- ^ "TRAX Name Selected". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. March 3, 1997. p. A1.
- ^ Van Eyck, Zack (December 5, 1999). "All aboard TRAX -- riders jam trains UTA overwhelmed by opening day response". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Culler, Leah L. (December 14, 2001). "All aboard (Saturday) for U. TRAX". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Fattah, Geoffrey (September 30, 2003). "UTA extends TRAX line to U. med center". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Daley, John (September 8, 2008). "Planners explore possibility of TRAX north to Davis County". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "FrontRunner Launches With Grand Opening And Massive Crowds". KUTV. Salt Lake City: Sinclair Broadcast Group. April 27, 2008. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
- ^ "UTA Announces FrontRunner Grand Opening Date!". rideuta.com (Press release). Utah Transit Authority. March 26, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2016 – via web.archive.org.
- ^ Free Fare Zone (Map). Utah Transit Authority. April 2013. Archived from the original (JPG) on January 9, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "Mayor Becker's State of the City" address" (PDF). January 13, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011 – via web.archive.org.
- ^ a b Falk, Aaron (May 30, 2009). "Streetcars could roll in 3 years: Becker says plans for $50M route to Sugar House on track". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Vo-Duc, Viviane (September 5, 2013). "New streetcar S-line set to open Dec. 8 in Sugar House". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ^ Sugar House Trolley blog
- ^ "SLC to put up money for streetcars in Sugar House". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. August 19, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- ^ "Delta to Link Eight More U.S. Communities to Salt Lake City Hub". delta.com (Press release). Delta Air Lines. February 19, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ "Downloadable Route Maps". delta.com. Delta Air Lines. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ "Salt Lake City Transportation - Taxi / Cabs / Light Rail / Trax / Ski Bus / Airport Shuttles / Limo's". saltlakecityutah.org. Salt Lake at a Glance Visitor Guide. Retrieved September 12, 2008.