Reader comments
Alternate TRAX route draws west-siders' ire

mom | 8:11 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

As a mom of 4 teenage daughters who like to shop, I would rather see the girls get to the Gateway on 400 West rather than 600W. The areas near Greyhound stations have never felt like clean, safe areas. I would be surprised if UTA listens to average citizens on this one rather than big business.

RF | 8:20 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

UTA and the developers dont really believe they are fooling anyone do they? UTA has made up its mind and whatever the public thinks will make no difference. UTA showed that with the bus route realignment. Any "public comment" events are just that, events, and will make no difference.
The route decision was bought and paid for by the developers and UTA will do what it has already decided to do, which is what the developers, not the residents want.
Dont waste time on going to public hearings unless you have nothing better to do that night.

West Sider | 8:30 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Claims that the route decision was not influenced by developer contributions to get the initiative on the ballot or passed are rather silly and insulting to people's intelligence. Everyone knows otherwise.

This is just another slap in the face of west side residents and once again tell us that in the eyes of politicians and developers, we are second class citizens in a second class part of town that carry little or no clout. If this type of thing were occuring on the east side, any residential or political disapproval would cause UTA to change its mind in a flash.

UTA does what it pleases anyway, just like they did with recent bus changes that were supposed to make riding the bus easier and faster. Has anyone noticed any difference since? Ask a west sider and chances are the majority will say "nope".

Comments continue below

jmdspk | 8:43 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

I just don't get why all the whining from people on the westside about this. 600 West is currently a dump of a street. The street will get all new infrastructure and will be a major improvement.

driftin | 9:01 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Willmore is a bawl baby. Let us not forget what is master planned for this area. (the community assisted in it). Trax in this area will benefit the community where ever you put it. We all can not have 360 views of the mountains. This city is going vertical and east, west, north and south side residents are going to have to deal with it. Why anyone would complain about having public transportation reach a segment of the poorer Salt Lake City population is whack. Westsiders are complaining about being left out of development, why donï¿½t you study how in Portland the transportation system spurred development. Wake up west side and join Salt Lake City!

Bryant Ford | 10:01 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Please don't destroy North Temple by putting TRAX on it. It is the only non-freeway road to the airport.

Huh? | 10:06 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Why is this a slap on the face of the west side? both 400 West and 600 West are on the west side. This isn't a west side issue, it's just another case of NIMBY-ism where the residents of both streets are only thinking about what's best for them, and getting mad at the agencies who have to consider what's best for the whole community. And to think that a mere $10,000 from Boyer had anything to do with it, that sounds like a bad reporter trying to make a bigger story. I heard about the 600 West idea way before the referendum, because it's been ten years since the airport line was studied, and now the Gateway and Hub have been built. And now the city has approved a bunch of new buildings and developments in the area, and now they have to go back and figure out where to put a TRAX line that's been planned for years.

mdub | 10:16 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Bryant Ford,

Are you kidding me? Putting Trax down North Temple will actually help make that street more pedestrian oriented and be a huge improvement for the area!

To the rest of the naysayers,

People can speculate all they want about Boyer's influence on this issue, but I'm not buying it. It comes down to cost and the most efficient transit option. If the entire North Temple viaduct has to be reconstructed, then UTA will get stuck with the bill. It will cost a ton more than doing the bridge on 600 West. This preferred option has everything to do with cost, reducing transit times, and focusing on the intermodal hub. The 600 West route accomplishes those things. That is why UTA prefers this option. People will be impacted regardless of where this line goes. Besides, this area is prime for redevelopment and maybe this will spur it to happen.

leenaree | 10:46 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Having lived in Boston suring the era of the "Big Green Monster" the elevated spur of I-93 that cut the city in half, I am concerned about the bridge that is planned. The bridge that was built in Boston cut the North End off from the rest of the city and created blighted, dark, crime-ridden areas under its length. It was never safe to walk near the Boston Garden, because it was always dark. One of the benefits of the Big Dig will be taking down the Green Monster, and reuniting this area with the rest of the city. Part of the purpose of public transportation is to unite portions of the city, not divide them. As far as "hurting the Gateway," how could bringing public transportation closer to it hurt it? I would think it would bring new and more customers.

Mr. Pompous Ignoramus | 10:57 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

It doesn't matter what street they put it on, because it's all a ghetto down there anyways.

Jason | 10:59 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Bryant Ford, why would you not want to take the freeway to the airport????? Even if I live downtown, I'm takin' the freeway. It's a no brainer.

C. Sense | 11:19 a.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Look at a map. 600 West makes sense. Quit whining and looking for conspiracy theories. Focus on designing and building TRAX in a quality fashion. TRAX is wildly popular- it does not hurt property values.

Chad | 4:17 p.m. Aug. 31, 2007

Insightful leaders have fueled west side development by REMOVING VIADUCTS from that neighborhood rather than adding them! Ironic because opponents at the Gateway owe their development's very existence to bringing down viaducts- increasing access to the west side. UTA should stick with the original North Temple plan, which will shorten that dark and aging viaduct for a whole block. Plus it is a more direct route into downtown from the airport. All these "re-allignments" of TRAX reek of oldschool beurocracy rather than common transit sense. The TRAX system is begining to look more and more like UTA's recently deleted circitus-go-nowhere bus routes! Power to the folks on 600 West! No dark grafiti covered viaduct dividing your charming street. I wish the biggest corporate power on the block would step in and support the North Temple allignment- which would eliminate unnecessary viaduct just North of their business college.

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