Planners add Wasatch Front highway, transit projects to wait list

Regional planners are seeking public comment on their annual proposal about which Wasatch Front highway and mass transit projects should be added to waiting lists for federal funding.

Each year, the Wasatch Front Regional Council releases its draft Transportation Improvement Program for the next six years. Projects must appear on it to qualify for federal funding. The new 2015-2020 proposal is available online at wfrc.org.

The council will accept comments on the new draft through Aug. 2. Also, it will have officials on hand July 9 to answer questions about the plan from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Intermodal Center Plaza, 250 S. 600 West, in Salt Lake City.

Among notable projects added to the funding list for the first time over the next six years are:

• $900,000 to double-track the Sugar House streetcar line. It now runs on a single track in some areas. Adding a second track could allow streetcars to run every 15 minutes instead of the current every 20 minutes.

• $37,500 for a study to develop a plan to add a "family-friendly" bikeway on North Temple through downtown Salt Lake City, consider a separate bus lane there, and improve pedestrian crossings, bus stops and bus shelters.

• $750,000 to expand bike sharing programs.

• $958,000 to buy new Utah Transit Authority Buses to run up Ogden Canyon toward ski resorts there. Currently, that route uses old ski buses from Salt Lake County.

• $4 million to reconstruct 4100 South in West Valley City.

• $6 million to continue extending Porter Rockwell Boulevard eastward in Bluffdale. Eventually it will connect the new Mountain View Corridor highway with Interstate 15.

• $3.2 million to realign the collector road for the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy with 9270 South at State Street.

• $4.4 million for a Redwood Road mobility and beautification project from 4100 South to Bruin Boulevard. It is designed to decrease "conflict points" to increase safety for pedestrians and motorists.

• $1 million to add curb, gutter, sidewalk, shoulders and a center-turn lane to 3200 West in South Jordan.

• $1.6 million to expand or replace a park-and-ride lot on Wasatch Boulevard at Hillsborough Pond in Cottonwood Heights.

• $1 million to improve the intersection of Main Street and 650 North in Clearfield.

Council Chairman Bret Millburn, who is also a Davis County Commissioner, said the long-range planning "ultimately helps to facilitate better traffic flow, increase travel options and improve safety."

ldavidson@sltrib.com