UTA commuter rail gets funding boost

The Utah Transit Authority has received what it calls a "hunting license" to chase Congress for funding of a commuter rail system that could someday stretch between Box Elder and Utah counties.

Early Tuesday, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recommended that $490 million in federal dollars over the next six years be given to UTA to reimburse the agency for the cost of building a 44-mile section of commuter rail that will extend from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View.

The recommendation is part of President Bush's trillion-dollar budget, released Monday to Congress.

"This is a hunting license," said UTA spokesman Justin Jones. "It doesn't mean we've bagged the deer, but it means we get to go for the money. And it isn't just any license. It's a license from the president to go to Congress and get the money."

UTA was one of five transit agencies in the nation recommended to receive federal funding for a new project. If Congress approves the proposal, UTA will be reimbursed for more than 80 percent of the $581 million cost of commuter rail.

Voters in Weber and Davis counties, through a referendum in 2000, agreed to raise taxes to pay for additional costs and future maintenance of the rail line.

During a meeting Tuesday, FTA officials commended UTA for having a strong project that utilized local resources. The ridership "success" of the TRAX light-rail system in Salt Lake County was also mentioned as a factor in recommending that commuter rail receive federal funding.

"The project did exhibit strong local land-use and development planning," said David Bozzolo, FTA chief of planning and analysis. "It will be built upon the success of the existing light-rail system."

Mike Allegra, UTA's chief capital development officer, said commuter rail is a "solution" to a growing traffic problem. The agency, he said, is confident the system will be successful.

Opening-day ridership for commuter rail is expected to be about 5,900. The system will have eight or nine stops and plans are to eventually extend it north to Brigham City and south to Provo.

Given the success of TRAX, UTA says ridership and demand for the system should be greater than projections. Construction work began last summer and is about 15 percent finished, according to UTA commuter rail project manager Steve Meyer.