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Residents opposing a TRAX line down 600 West

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Ernie Willmore | 9:19 a.m. Sept. 20, 2007
Not only are residents opposed to the 600 West alignment, it also simply does not make sense for TRAX riders. If you're comming from the Airport to downtown SLC it's a much more entertaining and direct route to access downtown venues via the 400 West alignment. It's also the most direct and practical route for ALL riders comming from Davis and Weber Counties. UTA/TRAX has gone on record with Ralph Jackson's (UTA official) presentation to the Planning Commission saying the routes are basically a wash in time travel, and the 400 West alignment is feasable from an engineering perspective. Since both routes are a wash from timing and ridership models, it seems so logical that the route that is LEAST OFFENSIVE to local residents and intuitively sensible (the 400 West alignment)should be selected. The 400 West alignment IS the most logical and the route determined as the LPA (Locally Preferred Alignment)in the 1999 conclusion by UTA, TRAX, City Councilmembers, etc. It made good sense in 1999 and makes good sense now. We don't need another viaduct in the downtown area anyways when the North Temple viaduct can be enhanced with the 400 West alignment. Send in your comments!
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C. Sense | 4:53 p.m. Sept. 20, 2007
The 600 West route makes sense. A small minority of residents should not be allowed to derail projects that are as popular and beneficial to the community as TRAX. It shouldn't be allowed to happen on 600 West in SLC and it should not be allowed to happen in Draper. Look at the map of 600 West- that is the best route from the new intermodal hub to North Temple, same as the existing rail line near where riders live make sense in Draper. Living near TRAX is a benefit and would help, not hurt, property values. This is electric light rail, not diesel locomotives / heavy rail.

And how is a train line OFFENSIVE? Offended by a train line? Anyone who finds a train line OFFENSIVE has got bigger issues to deal with.
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involved1 | 6:21 a.m. Sept. 21, 2007
A SMALL minority of residents? This is more than a small group of people. Fairpark, Poplar Grove, Rose Park, Westpointe and Capitol Hill Community Councils are all "on board" in supporting the ORIGINAL 400 West line. How would you feel if a Master Plan in your community was changed? A Master Plan that new developers and home buyers looked at when purchasing property and setting up business? Master Plans are put in place to protect communities, to give developers and residents an idea of what is going to happen in the area so they can make decisions as to where to live and put their business.

BTW-we're not "offenended" by the train line. We're offended that the Master Plan is not being followed. We're quite excited to have Trax coming to our neighborhood for residents to use.
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Brett | 10:18 a.m. Sept. 21, 2007
I have a hard time understanding why there is opposition to the 400 W. alignment. They are running track down 400 W. right now! This would simply be a couple more blocks of it.

If we are going to put money into a viaduct, why not add to the North Temple viaduct and improve that ugly structure? I understand that funds are not available to fix the North Temple viaduct, but at least we could improve it.

If you were coming in to downtown from the airport, would you want to ride down to hub and the transfer to a train to get back up to the shoping at the Gateway and Energy Solutions Arena?

Put the line where it makes sense and help protect a community that has been working very hard to improve their neighborhood.
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Jenni | 1:16 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007
This looks to be a dispute between residents and big business (Gateway). Gateway has already got what it wants from UTA (a primo stop).

Anyone who spends any time in the area could see that 400 West is the most logical route of the two.

I make frequent trips from the East Side to the West Side and I feel qualified to say that 400 West is the better of the two routes.

But we all know that UTA could care less what the citizens want -- look at the recent disasterous route changes. UTA will do what UTA wants to do and we'll all have to live with the consequences.
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Brad B | 10:15 a.m. Sept. 24, 2007
It's not the TRAX that is offensive it is the viaduct that will be built right in front of their houses that will be offensive! What every news paper article has failed to mention is that to build a line down 6 west they will have to build a viaduct over the existing rail lines. That means the houses down 6 west will have a viaduct in their front yards.

The 4 west alignment has always been the preferred alignment until Gateway/Boyer Co. decided that it wasn't. And now that Boyer doesn't like UTA doesn't like it.

The North Temple viaduct is in need of an upgrade and is scheduled for an upgrade sometime in the next few years. Why build a new viaduct on 6 west and then rebuild the North Temple viaduct a couple years later? Why not just rebuild the North Temple viaduct with a TRAX line on it? It is the most Cost Effective alignment.
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Natalie L. | 2:07 p.m. Sept. 24, 2007
I don't understand why 600 West is even being considered as an option!

If the agreed upon Master Plan designated 400 West as the site of a future Trax line, and everyone in the area knew that, including Boyer when they went ahead with the Gateway development, then why should it be changed just because Boyer wants to?!

What about all the residents and other businesses who made their plans based on the Master Plan!?

If a line is built down 600 West it will be a slap in the face to the residents there who have worked to improve the community there, and it will be one more barrier that divides the East side from the West side - one more barrier that we DON'T need!
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No. Utah sees a major earthquake every 350 years. Last one? 350 years ago.