Airport TRAX line to bring new opportunities to Salt Lake City's west side

SALT LAKE CITY — The new TRAX airport line connecting Salt Lake City International Airport with downtown Salt Lake City via North Temple is slated for completion in about a year.

With TRAX trains hitting six stops on the six-mile line, the city has high expectations for that corridor, where an estimated 14,000 passengers a day will travel by 2030.

“This really is one of the most anticipated rail projects to come along in a long time," UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said.

A free workshop will be held March 29 at the Grand Hall at Utah State Fairpark to explore ways the new, multiuse corridor may contribute to the future development of North Temple.  

Salt Lake City Community and Economic Development Director Frank Gray hopes the workshop will get business, land owners and the public together to talk about realistic expectations for development on the corridor.

“The development of the North Temple corridor in conjunction with the Airport TRAX line presents a truly generational opportunity for Salt Lake City’s west-side community,” he said.

Scheduled conference speakers include Gray; Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker; Utah Transit Authority Chief Planning Officer Mat Sibul; Nadine Fogarty of Strategic Economics; Tim Van Meter of Van Meter, William & Pollack; James Wood, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Utah; and others.    

Utah State Fairpark is located on the northwest side of North Temple and 1000 West. The event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is free and open to the public.    

To register for the event go to www.slcgov.com/ntc. 

More information on the conference can be found at www.slcclassic.com/northtemple or by calling 801-535-6230.    

— Viviane Vo-Duc