Sandy opens rail-corridor trail

SANDY — It's not exactly a walk on the wild side, but it is a bit unusual for Utah.

Sandy residents now can walk the length of their city, from 8400 South to 11400 South, on a trail beside the Utah Transit Authority's TRAX light-rail corridor.

The new "Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality" trail was officially dedicated Thursday at a ceremony near the 10000 South TRAX station.

Sandy becomes the first city to enjoy a pedestrian/bike path along the rail corridor. But it won't be the last if UTA, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Wasatch Front Regional Council have their way. Those agencies joined with the city to provide the state's first rail-corridor trail, and they would like to see more trails like it in the future.

"It's a good thing there are dreamers. And it's a good thing they don't let go of their dreams," UTA general manager John Inglish said of the people who came together to make the trail a reality.

"It's a very clear statement about the value of partnerships. . . . The benefits and advantages that have come from that (working together) are substantial."

City and agency officials hope Sandy residents will use the trail not just for recreation but as an alternative to reaching light-rail stations, schools, businesses and parks without driving a motorized vehicle.

"I hope it just isn't a park, a trail where you just see a few people every now and then," said Sandy City Councilman Scott Cowdell. "I hope it's crowded."

The need for non-roadway methods of transportation has become more obvious in recent years as Utah's growth has outpaced its ability to create new transportation infrastructure.

For example, I-15 at the Sandy intersection of 10600 South carried 92,560 cars per day in 1996. Now, an average of 134,694 vehicles daily travel that same stretch of freeway.

The trail was primarily funded through a $770,000 grant from the federal CMAQ fund. Sandy chipped in $80,000, and UTA contributed three miles worth of right-of-way.

"This would not have happened without the cooperation of UTA," Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan said.

The CMAQ trail follows the TRAX corridor, which goes north and south through Sandy at roughly 200 East. For the first 16 blocks, from 8400 South to 10000 South, trail users will have the occasional company of a passing train. South of 10000 South, the current TRAX terminus, the walk is more solitary — but UTA and regional planners hope light rail eventually will be extended south into Draper.

Cowdell noted how the area surrounding the TRAX station has changed since he was a kid. In high school, Cowdell and his friends used to go there to "spotlight rats and shoot rats, jackrabbits, birds," he said.

"Hopefully, this is a better use of the property," he added. "It's taken an eyesore and turned it into a nice area . . . that will serve Sandy city for many years to come, I hope."

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