West-siders breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday night, assured that a new rail bridge won't be built in their community.

The Salt Lake City Council formally announced its unanimous support for the alignment of a light-rail line to the airport to extend north along 400 West to North Temple and then west to Salt Lake City International Airport.

That means the proposed 600 West alignment — including the viaduct it would have required to cross commuter rail lines near South Temple — is off the table.

"I think it's fabulous," said west-side resident Terry Hurst. "It's the right decision. (The City Council) really represented our community."

The City Council has the option to revisit the issue through the end of the year and change the preferred alignment by ordinance, though it's unlikely that 600 West would be an option.

Residents of Salt Lake City's west side have been actively opposed to the 600 West alignment, worried that it would increase traffic and crime, harm views from their homes and place another physical and sociological barrier between the city's east and west sides.

The council's preference of the 400 West alignment was included in an interlocal agreement with the Utah Transit Authority for the design, construction and ownership of the TRAX line.

UTA's Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on the agreement today, along with a condition added by the City Council on Tuesday night to extend the downtown free-fare zone to 300 East, which would include the Library Square TRAX station.

Several members of the City Council also wanted to see a 2200 West station added to the airport TRAX line, though it was not included as a condition of the agreement.

Instead, the agreement calls for UTA to periodically study demand for the station and build one if and when estimated ridership reaches a point where it wouldn't decrease trips per day on the entire TRAX system.

In addition, UTA will provide regular shuttle service to the Winifred Station at approximately 1900 West from the area bordered by 2200 West, 2200 North, 1950 West and North Temple.

Another hang-up had been the issue of Salt Lake City bonding for the $35 million project. Mayor Ralph Becker was reluctant to bond for what he says basically is a UTA project.

The revised funding agreement calls for the city to assign to UTA revenue raised through a funding stream created by the Legislature that allows Salt Lake City to collect $2 per vehicle registered in Salt Lake County. The city will continue to shift those fees to UTA until the $35 million cost — with interest — is met.

The City Council also stated its intentions to study 600 West as a bus transit corridor that would connect North Temple with 800 West and the intermodal hub. The city's Community and Economic Development Department was instructed to put together a proposal addressing funding requirements and a timeline for adopting small-area plans and rezoning requirements for both sides of 600 West and the area around the intermodal hub.

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