OGDEN — The signs of progress are clear: men in hard hats, big machines and bare ground.

After years of planning and waiting for permits, on-the-ground work is moving forward on a 44-mile commuter rail line from Salt Lake City to Weber County. About 10 percent of the project is finished, and it's only been five months since the Utah Transit Authority received approval to clear a path for the commuter train.

By next year, UTA hopes to lay rail. It received a first shipment this weekend. More is expected by the end of the week.

"We've made great progress," said Steve Meyer, UTA manager of commuter rail construction. "We've completed probably close to 4 miles' worth of drainage improvement, 11 miles' worth of pole line removal, cleared about 8 miles of corridor and moved about 300,000 cubic yards of dirt."

Construction during the past two months has focused on two major projects in Ogden and Centerville. In Centerville, workers have been building a path for tracks under the Parrish Lane interchange. A retaining wall has been squeezed into place on each side of the interchange. Now, workers are carefully carving into the wall under the interchange.

It's a tight job. Near Centerville, commuter rail will run in a 20-foot space between I-15 and adjacent Union Pacific train tracks.

"Working in this environment is hazardous," said Mike Robertson, project manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff, engineer consultant for the project. "It's a more limited space to work in."

In Ogden, work has been done to prepare for a mile-long bridge structure. In October, crews were trying to thread wick drains at least 80 feet into the ground. A wick drain consists of plastic surrounded by a thin material. It aids in settling and dirt compression.

"It's like one of those old lanterns that wick up oil," Robertson said. "It works the same way."

Because of difficulty in threading the wick drains into the ground, crews scrapped the plan in November and laid fill for the bridge structure. The fill is about 8 feet high. It will need to be about 38 feet high when finished.

Meyer anticipates that work to lay rail will begin next summer. Unlike most aspects of the project, the rail work will affect motorists in areas where the rail line crosses roads. Construction dates will be available when the rail work begins.

UTA anticipates work will be completed on commuter rail in early 2008. The transit agency hopes eventually to extend the rail line into Utah County. For more information, log on to: www.utabus.com.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com