UTA board approves budget increase

The Board of Trustees of the Utah Transit Authority approved a $9.5 million increase Wednesday in the budget to build a TRAX extension from the Delta Center to the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub.

About $2.5 million of the increase will be paid for by UTA. Salt Lake City also is expected to contribute $2.5 million, while the Federal Transit Authority is expected to pay about $4.5 million.

The increase puts the total cost to build the Intermodal Hub extension at around $41.7 million. The increase was a result of rising construction, labor and material costs, according to Mike Allegra, UTA's chief capital-development officer.

Work on the extension is anticipated to begin by the end of the year and will take about a year to finish, Allegra said. The extension will run about six blocks, from the Delta Center TRAX station to the hub, located at about 200 South and 600 West.