State leaders question fast bus route

PROVO — A route the City Council approved months ago for rapid bus transit ran into resistance from state legislators during a meeting Monday of several public bodies assembled to review the project.

The approved route, which someday could become a light rail route, runs down University Parkway, past the Marriott Center on the Brigham Young University campus, down 900 East, 700 North, 100 West, jogging at the railroad tracks to Freedom Boulevard down to the Provo Towne Center, then looping around in the East Bay area and coming back.

The project is an effort of Mountainland Association of Governments, Utah Transit Authority and the Utah Department of Transportation. Those entities are working with both Provo and Orem city councils.

"Why are we here if this has already been decided?" asked Rep. Steve Clark, R-Provo.

Clark expressed concern that the route didn't access Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, which he said was a key destination.

"I'm sorry I wasn't involved in it early on, but that doesn't (change) how I feel about it now," he said.

"We're pretty far along in the process now," said Chad Eccles, transit program manager for MAG. To change it would cost $100,000.

"If we're not making the right decision, that's peanuts," Clark responded.

Anticipated costs range between $130 million and $150 million.

"When I first saw this I thought it was a foregone conclusion, said Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem. But he expressed concern that the larger rapid transit buses would be empty.

However, the models show that the system would begin with 12,000 riders a day when it opens in 2013 and grow to 17,000 riders within 17 years, Eccles said.

"We're pretty confident the ridership is there," said Hal Ryan Johnson, UTA manager of engineering and construction.

The new system would replace the current UTA Route 830, which could be deployed elsewhere, Eccles said. That system now serves 5,000 riders a day.

Although the council had adopted a resolution setting the route, there was still room for discussion, Provo City Council Chairwoman Cynthia Dayton said. The meeting was set up for participants to map out their ideas for the best route for the new system.

Since the resolution was adopted, council members traveled to Eugene, Ore., where they inspected a bus rapid transit system after which the Provo system is modeled.

Councilman Steve Turley said he still favored the adopted route because of where it took riders. The 100 West corridor is prime for redevelopment, he said. But he expressed concern for service to the hospital, particularly for hospital employees.

Sherry Hall Everett said she would like to see buses move students from campus to Provo's retail centers, even if it was by buses in tandem with the rapid transit system.

The system, new to Utah, is to include two terminals and have an emphasis on speed and short wait times. MAG officials are working toward getting it 80 percent funded by the federal government. It has been in the works since the first study was completed in 2002, Eccles said.

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