Utah on track to get funds for TRAX, new rail system

WASHINGTON — The Senate Appropriations Committee put big money on track this week for two Utah rail projects: extending the TRAX light rail line and creating a new Ogden-to-Provo commuter rail system.

As part of its version of the 2004 annual Transportation Appropriations bill, it approved $30 million more for the project to extend TRAX's University of Utah line to the University of Utah Health Sciences Center.

It approved another $12 million for preliminary work on the Weber-Davis portion of the Ogden-Provo commuter rail project. Funding for both rail projects was requested by Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, the only Utahn on an appropriations committee. Such committees decide each year how to split up the available budget pie.

"Just as funding for TRAX has proven to be a wise investment and overwhelming success, we anticipate that commuter rail will also deliver the same kind of benefits," Bennett said.

The committee also approved:

• $10 million to purchase buses for the Utah Transit Authority, Park City Transit, Logan Transit and St. George Transit.

• $8.5 million for statewide intermodal transportation transfer centers.

• a $6 million reimbursement for I-15 reconstruction in Salt Lake County.

• $1.25 million for intelligent transportation systems in Davis and Utah counties, and another $1 million for one in Cache Valley.

• $1.5 million for I-15 redesign in Davis County.

• $2 million for an instrument landing system at Logan-Cache Airport.

• $1 million for work at Provo airport's control tower.

That bill now goes to the full Senate and eventually to a conference with the House to iron out differences in their bills.

Meanwhile, the House this week passed its version of the bill. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he requested and obtained funding for several projects in his district.

He said the bill included $30.66 million for the extension of the TRAX line. Also it included $3 million for work on I-15 from the Salt Lake-Utah counties line to Utah Highway 92.

Matheson said other funding included: $400,000 for the Northern Corridor road in St. George; $500,000 for a St. George bus facility; and $1.5 million to improve the Brown's Park Road in Daggett County.

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