Friday, January 30, 2009

West Valley TRAX Update

A TRAX train passing the Frank E.Image via Wikipedia

Construction progress continues on the West Valley TRAX Line. To keep business and traffic impacts to a minimum, this five-mile project has been separated into seven construction “reaches,” or segments, for management and planning purposes. The map below shows each construction reach in a different color, starting with Reach 1 in light green on the south end of the project and ending with Reach 7 in dark green on the north end.

Currently, construction is taking place in all reaches.

A description of what is happening in each area is listed below. If you need further construction information, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.


Reach 1

Reach Description: Reach 1 is the area along Constitution Boulevard (2700 South) from West Valley City Hall at 3600 South extending north to 3100 South. This area includes both large and small businesses, as well as many residents. Access to all business and residences will be maintained throughout construction.

Current Construction: TRAX construction is taking place in conjunction with UTA’s bus rapid transit project on Market Street. Crews are currently working on the station platform in between West Valley City Hall and the Public Safety Building. Watch for project signs in the work areas that display West Valley TRAX Line fact sheets for more information.

Traffic Impacts: Market Street is closed for North/South traffic between 3650 South and Lehmann Avenue.

Reach 2

Reach Description: Reach 2 is the area along 3100 South from Constitution Boulevard to Decker Lake Drive. The E Center and a few other businesses are located in this reach, as well as residents on either side of 3100 South. Access will be maintained throughout construction and we will work with The E Center to coordinate our efforts so you can continue to visit the great events they have to offer. When TRAX is completed along 3100 South, it will operate on the south side of the roadway.

Current Construction: Construction has begun on the TRAX bridge over I-215 on the south side of 3100 South. The foundation work for this structure includes driving steel pile into the ground using a machine that may generate significant noise and vibration for local residents. To help alleviate impacts, pile driving activities will be limited to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Construction on this bridge will also include minor lane restrictions periodically on I-215 throughout the next couple of months.

Upcoming Construction: The intersection at Mapleway and 3100 South will close to traffic within the next two to three weeks for about one month. Pedestrian access will be maintained at this closure. We will make personal contact with residents prior to the closure to address any concerns.

Traffic Impacts: There will be some lane restrictions on I-215 as crews progress with bridge construction. A closure at Mapleway and 3100 South will take place in about two to three weeks.

Reach 3

Reach Description: Reach 3 is the area along Decker Lake Drive from 3100 South to Research Way (2770 South) and running east to Redwood Road. This area includes many commercial office buildings with thousands of employees who access this area on a daily basis. We will continually work with these businesses to ensure access is provided at all times.

Current Construction: Crews are currently working on a storm drain on the east side of Decker Lake Drive. Access is being maintained and we thank the businesses and motorists for their support during construction.

Upcoming Construction: Construction is anticipated to take place along Decker Lake Drive throughout the next several months.

Traffic Impacts: Access to businesses is being maintained.

Please be mindful of workers and obey posted speed limits.

Reach 4

Reach Description: Reach 4 runs through the Chesterfield residential area along 2770 South and proceeds along the Decker Lake Canal and the Crosstowne Trail. We will work with residents to ensure a safe working environment that provides access to their properties throughout construction.

Current Construction: The majority of construction on the West Valley Line has taken place in this reach on the east side of Redwood Road. Crews are now installing a permanent wall along both sides of the Crosstowne Trail. Significant drainage and irrigation work has been accomplished as well as foundation work for TRAX’s overhead wiring system. A permanent fence has been installed just east of the Brighton Canal to the Khadeeja Islamic Center on Parkway Avenue.

Upcoming Construction: Sound wall installation in the Chesterfield neighborhood is anticipated to take place over the next couple of months.

Traffic Impacts:

· The Crosstowne Trail along 2770 South just east of Redwood Road to the Brighton Canal is currently closed. Once TRAX construction is completed, the trail will once again be operational.

Reach 5

Reach Description: Reach 5 will include construction along 1070 West in the Chesterfield industrial area. This reach will include one bridge structure over the Jordan River and another over 900 West.

Current Construction: The majority of construction is taking place on 1070 West just north of Parkway Avenue. Third party utility work is currently taking place and there will be some lane restrictions implemented at this time. Work on a joint trench for utilities and sewer line work is also taking place along 1070 West, as well as pile driving for a retaining wall.

Traffic Impacts: As construction proceeds, there will be some lane restrictions. However, we will maintain access at all times.

Reach 6

Reach Description: Reach 6 runs through the Union Pacific Railroad’s Roper Yard area. Although there are no businesses and residents, extensive coordination will take place with the Union Pacific Railroad to ensure that freight deliveries and other train travel will be maintained. Reach 6 will include an extensive bridging system that will enable TRAX to operate above ground, over other train traffic.

Current Construction: Crews have installed steel piles 120’ into the ground to form the main foundations for the aerial bridge that will carry TRAX over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Crews are currently pouring concrete to form the columns for the bridge. Utility work is also taking place.

Upcoming Construction: Coordination will continue with the Union Pacific Railroad to install utilities and bridge structures.

Traffic Impacts: Not applicable. This is a Union Pacific Railroad work area.

Reach 7

Reach Description: Reach 7 is the area where the West Valley Line will connect with the current North/South TRAX Line. Construction will take place along Andy Avenue in South Salt Lake. Crews will closely coordinate activities with businesses to ensure access is maintained. A construction survey has been conducted with the businesses along 400 West between Andy Avenue and 2100 South to determine the best time to construct in the Andy Avenue/600 West intersection.

Current Construction: Storm drain installation along Andy Avenue has been completed. We thank the businesses in this area for their support during construction.

Upcoming Construction: The next phase of construction will begin near Andy Avenue next spring. We will continue to work with businesses to maintain access and mitigate any issues that may arise.

Traffic Impacts: Access will be maintained during construction.

General Information

Access during construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with the public in cases where temporary access might be required.

Construction Hours

Construction on the project is permitted to take place between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon the conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.

Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.

For More Information

Timely and helpful information is available to assist business and residential communities as well as commuters and stakeholders.

If you have further questions not answered by this report or any comments regarding the project, please contact toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854 or e-mail thope@rideuta.com. You can also visit UTA’s Web site at www.rideuta.com.

Please note that construction information provided is subject to change.

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

This Week in Amtrak

An Amtrak train on the NEC in NJ, as seen from...Image via Wikipedia

This Week at Amtrak; January 29, 2009

A weekly digest of events, opinions, and forecasts from

United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

America’s foremost passenger rail policy institute

1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 • Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail info@unitedrail.orghttp://www.unitedrail.org

Volume 6, Number 4

Founded over three decades ago in 1976, URPA is a nationally known policy institute that focuses on solutions and plans for passenger rail systems in North America. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, URPA has professional associates in Minnesota, California, Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, Texas, and New York. For more detailed information, along with a variety of position papers and other documents, visit the URPA web site at http://www.unitedrail.org.

URPA is not a membership organization, and does not accept funding from any outside sources.

1) Inquiring minds have wanted to know for a long time why Amtrak never wants to report its metrics by standard measures used by all other types of common carriers, not to mention federal government reporting agencies such as the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The reason is, Amtrak has a dirty little secret it doesn’t want anyone to know or figure out: Statistically, Amtrak is completely irrelevant as a part of our domestic transportation network.

New figures have been released by BTS this month. The latest figures available from BTS are for 2006, but that doesn’t matter, because Amtrak’s figures are so very low, even if they were doubled Amtrak would still be statistically irrelevant.

BTS 2006 Statistics, Market Share by Mode

Air – 11.07%

Passenger cars – 49.82%

Other 2 axle vehicles (Such as SUVs, pickup trucks, etc;) – 35.38%

Busses – 2.78%

Motorcycles – 0.30%

Rail transit – 0.31%

Rail commuter – 0.19%

Amtrak – 0.10%

Other transit – 0.04%

Just in case you think you read that Amtrak figure incorrectly, it’s one tenth of one percent market share. Yes, far less than a single percentage point.

If you are doling out free federal monies in Washington, how high would that be on your priority list? Amtrak has certain members of Congress who will ALWAYS offer amendments to bills and other devices to defund Amtrak. When you look at Amtrak’s true numbers, you have to wonder why not more members of Congress don’t do the same thing? Just looking at raw numbers, Amtrak is not only a loser, but it’s a colossal loser, and screams government waste and boondoggle to rational people.

If you are a political commentator of any stripe and are accustomed to either flying everywhere or driving to any destination (especially if you live outside of the Northeast), you can see why Amtrak receives little or no support for a future as part of our domestic transportation network.

When someone cries "Close it! Sell it! Dismantle it!" they are doing so from a practical economic standpoint. Amtrak is, in the eyes of anyone doing cold, hard, analysis, unimportant. If Amtrak went away – even (gasp!) in the Northeast – there would be little, if any, impact on any roadway crowding. Even as heavy as traffic is on Northeast interstate highways, Amtrak’s daily passengers could still easily be absorbed onto busses, vans, and in automobiles.

Now, you see why Amtrak only wants to talk about warm bodies/passenger counts. Amtrak says it carries about 26 million passengers a year, for an average of 70,000 passengers a day on its over 300 trains (most of which are Northeast Corridor trains) a day (including the two tri-weekly trains, the Sunset Limited and the Cardinal).

What this tells us is a completely new approach is needed to "sell" passenger rail in North America. VIA Rail Canada isn’t much different from Amtrak in terms of percentage of population it serves; the only real difference is VIA has some social service routes which are critical to the inhabitants of remote parts of various provinces where no real roads exist. VIA and general aviation are still the only two forms of any type of transportation through or over some very desolate countryside.

Here’s the good news. It doesn’t take much to sell travelers on the potential of passenger train travel, especially Generation Y (people in their 20s) travelers. To many, train travel is a new and novel experience to be embraced and enjoyed.

If ever Amtrak gets away from insisting it must be the best kept secret in America, it will explode with riders.

Some otherwise well-respected authors are continuing the tedious and false drumbeat about Amtrak having to perpetually be a step-child of government, and how it can never come close to making money or even breaking even. Since this canard is constantly put before the public, more and more people blithely believe this drivel without bothering to check for themselves what the realities are about passenger rail in North America. Yes, as long as passenger rail commands one tenth of one percent of the traveling public’s market share, it will always have to be an unwanted child of government. It if ever gets just to one percent of market share, it will be a success both financially and socially, as long as the correct business plan is followed.

2) As rational individuals, we know body counts are worthless; revenue passenger miles are the defining figure of measurement.

Here are the same results for 2006, expressed in revenue passenger miles instead of percentages (in millions).

Air – 590,633

Passenger cars – 2,658,621

Other 2 axle vehicles (Such as SUVs, pickup trucks, etc;) – 1,887,997

Busses – 148,485

Motorcycles – 15,750

Rail transit – 16,587

Rail commuter – 10,361

Amtrak – 5,410

Other transit – 2,221

Amtrak still comes out on the bottom, no matter how you express the data.

If the presumption was made that every Amtrak passenger was unique every year (every passenger used Amtrak only one way for one trip a year), then Amtrak would be serving about 8.5% of the population of the United States. However, since the vast majority of Amtrak’s riders use the train as a round-trip service, and over half of Amtrak’s riders use NEC trains on a frequent basis, it’s safe to say Amtrak actually serves well under 3% of the population of the United States – again, making the service statistically irrelevant.

2) Let’s look at some other figures and trends, all courtesy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Here’s a breakdown of U.S. passenger miles by mode over an extended period of time (figures in millions).

Air Passenger Miles

1960 – 33,399

1965 – 57,626

1970 – 117,542

1975 – 147,400

1980 – 219,068

1985 – 290,136

1990 – 358,873

1995 – 414,688

2000 – 531,329

2005 – 583,689

2006 – 590,633

Highway Passenger Miles (Combined passenger car, motorcycle, two-axle passenger vehicles)

1960 – 1,272,078

1965 – 1,555,237

1970 – 2,042,002

1975 – 2,404,954

1980 – 2,653,510

1985 – 3,012,953

1990 – 3,561,209

1995 – 3,868,070

2000 – 4,390,076

2005 – 4,887,945

2006 – 4,933,689

Transit Passenger Miles (Combined bus, light rail, heavy rail, trolley bus, commuter rail)

1960 – NA

1965 – NA

1970 – NA

1975 – NA

1980 – 39,854

1985 – 39,581

1990 – 41,143

1995 – 39,808

2000 – 47,666

2005 – 49,680

2006 – 52,154

Passenger rail/Intercity, Amtrak Passenger Miles

1960 – 17,064

1965 – 13,260

1970 – 6,179

1975 – 3,931

1980 – 4,503

1985 – 4,825

1990 – 6,057

1995 – 5,545

2000 – 5,498

2005 – 5,381

2006 – 5,410

Additional figures compiled by URPA from Amtrak data

2007 – 5,653

2008 – 6,159

Figures for prior to 1990 are only reported in five year increments. What’s interesting about the passenger rail figures is the huge drop – over 50% – from 1965 to 1970, a period still prior to Amtrak when most railroads were still running private passenger trains under government regulation.

The drop from 1970 to 1975 includes the introduction of Amtrak with its skeletal national system and the removal of most remaining passenger trains in the country. Since the directed mission from the United States Department of Transportation in the creation of Amtrak was to determine what formerly private railroad routes could be considered sustainable after the creation of Amtrak, it’s obvious just the very creation of Amtrak instituted a false capacity constraint on passenger rail.

The total figure of revenue passenger miles for 2008 – Amtrak’s best year ever – is still below that of 1970, the year before Amtrak started service and private railroads were still operating passenger trains under government mandate.

What does this tell us? From the very beginning, by government directive, Amtrak has placed a false restraint on passenger demand in the United States. Even as bad as the last years of private passenger trains were by some railroads hoping to scare away passengers and only operate the barest of services, the public still wanted to ride trains. Not everyone wants to fly, and not everyone wants to travel by private automobile, no matter how wonderful the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System may be.

What would have happened if Amtrak would not have falsely constrained demand? What would happen if Amtrak was not America’s best kept secret? What would happen if Amtrak’s senior management was actually interested in making the company a success rather than living off of the sour fruits of payments from state treasuries to run intrastate services at high prices while offering low value and bad service?

3) How did Amtrak falsely constrain demand? Let us count the ways, using higher math, of course, because simple arithmetic can’t handle the numbers.

Amtrak has consistently replaced its original fleet inherited from the private railroads with fewer and fewer cars. Here are the numbers.

Passenger Railroad Cars (Does not include locomotives)

1970 – 1,569

1980 – 2,128

1990 – 1,863

1994 – 1,852

1995 – 1,722

1996 – 1,730

1997 – 1,728

1998 – 1,962

1999 – 1,992

2000 – 1,894

2001 – 2,084

2002 – 2,896

2003 – 1,623

2004 – 1,211

2005 – 1,186

2006 – 1,191

2009 – 1,505 plus 140 state owned, but operated by Amtrak, for a total of 1,645

2009 – 1,345 active cars Amtrak lists as available for fleet status or undergoing routine maintenance

Passenger Railroad Car Purchases by Year as reported by BTS (Does not include locomotives)

1975 – 109

1980 – 109

1990 – 58

1994 – 64

1995 – 76

1996 – 92

1997 – 10

2000 – 26

(No figures available after 2000)

Today, Amtrak has 1,551 fewer cars than it did in 2002, mostly due to older equipment being sold for scrap by previous Amtrak stewards, and Amtrak allowing too many cars to go onto the wreck line for minor maintenance issues which Amtrak chooses not to pay for to restore the cars to service.

Again, Amtrak has intentionally created false passenger constraints by simply not providing enough equipment to haul passengers based on demand. While Amtrak’s Amen Corner choruses will incorrectly claim this is the fault of the federal government due to alleged under funding, the reality is Amtrak never requests funding for large equipment orders, nor does it explore viable options through bootstrapping equipment leasing schemes. Instead, Amtrak is content to annually ask for free federal monies to supplement its operations instead of searching for viable ways to support itself, perhaps, say, with the fabulous idea of hauling more passengers instead of seeking subsidies.

4) Most Amtrak supporters suffer from the unbecoming disease of modal envy, that scurrilous malady which forces people to think that just because some other mode of transportation has to have free federal monies to keep it solvent, so does passenger rail.

Here are the numbers – again, from BTS – published in Federal Subsidies to Passenger Transportation in December 2004

[Begin quote]

Executive Summary

Recent work in the private sector and current policy debates have refocused attention on Federal subsidies to passenger transportation modes. To provide the Department of Transportation with an independent analysis of this issue, BTS developed data on federal transportation revenues, expenditures, and net subsidies, by mode. Subsidy, for the purpose of this analysis, represents a simple accounting calculation of the net flow of funds to or from the federal government for individual transportation modes. The excess of expenditures over revenues is the net subsidy. To show the amount of subsidy relative to the level of use of transportation infrastructure, we normalized the data by dividing the absolute net subsidy values by passenger-miles.

Highways

Users of the highway passenger transportation system paid significantly greater amounts of money to the federal government than their allocated costs in 1994-2000. This was a result of the increase in the deficit reduction motor fuel tax rates between October 1993 and September 1997, and the increase in Highway Trust Fund fuel tax rates starting in October 1997.

School and transit buses received positive net federal subsidies over the 1990-2002 period, but autos, motorcycles, pickups and vans, and intercity buses paid more than their allocated cost to the federal government.

On average, highway users paid $1.91 per thousand passenger-miles to the federal government over their highway allocated cost during 1990-2002.

Passenger Rail

The net federal subsidy to passenger railroads was the third largest, except for the years 1998-2000, when it was second. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 provided Amtrak with a tax credit in the amount of $2.18 billion in current dollars that caused the net federal subsidy to increase dramatically in 1998 and 1999.

Passenger rail received the largest subsidy per thousand passenger-miles, averaging $186.35 per thousand passenger-miles during 1990-2002.

Transit

Between 1990 and 2002, transit received the largest amount of net federal subsidy, increasing from $5.09 billion to $7.31 billion, an increase of 3% per year. Next to passenger rail, transit received the next highest net federal subsidy per thousand passenger-miles for the period, averaging $118.26 in year 2000 chained dollars.

Air

After transit, air transportation received the second largest net federal subsidy, except for the period from 1998 to 2000, when rail was second. Subsidies declined in 1998-2000 as a result of the increase in federal receipts from aviation users associated with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, which increased existing aviation excise tax rates and introduced new taxes as of October 1, 1997.

Net federal subsidy per thousand passenger-miles for air increased between 1990 and 1996 and then declined from 1997 to 2000, before rising again in 2001 and 2002. The decline during 1997-2000 was caused by the increase in federal receipts from aviation users as a result of the increase in the existing excise tax rates and the introduction of new taxes in 1997, which preceded increases in expenditures.

[End quote]

So, for you in the back of the room sleeping, let’s have a quick review. Out of the 10 modes of transportation measured by the federal government, Amtrak is ranked ninth (9th) in market share, only above "Other Transit," which includes such modes as "demand response, ferryboat, and other transit not specified."

Being ninth in line – passenger automobiles, other passenger vehicles such as SUVs, and air being the top three modes – Amtrak in some recent years has received the second largest net federal subsidy, and often received the third largest net federal subsidy. To repeat part of the quote above: "Passenger rail received the largest subsidy per thousand passenger-miles, averaging $186.35 per thousand passenger-miles during 1990-2002."

Please, stop the modal envy. Amtrak is cleaning up when it comes to free federal monies. Every other mode should be jealous of Amtrak, not the other way around.

5) Where are we in the Winter of 2009? Amtrak is statistically irrelevant. But, even if it gains just one percent of the national transportation market share, it can be self-sustaining without annual federal funds. This doesn’t mean it has to go private (as appealing as that is to many people), but it does mean it doesn’t have to live and die by the will of reluctant lawmakers who constantly use Amtrak as a political pawn.

Prior to the introduction of the Boeing 707 jet aircraft and the building of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, passenger rail had the vast majority of market share in North America for moving passengers. Those days will never be repeated, mostly because there are too many good alternatives to passenger rail. But, passenger rail has tremendous growth potential to regain enough business to make it relevant.

Put all of the annoying tree-hugging arguments aside. Make a modern case for the business of passenger rail. Take visionary schemes like Gil Carmichael’s Interstate II and make them a reality, tugging passenger rail along for the ride.

Most people don’t ride a train for four main reasons: either they don’t know train service is available, today’s embarrassingly skeletal offerings are too inconvenient, no Amtrak service is available to them, or they have joined the thousands of legions of "never again" passengers Amtrak has mistreated in one way or another over the past nearly four decades.

The next time you hear a politician or political commentator griping about Amtrak, just be grateful they even know enough about passenger rail to complain about it. Statistically, Amtrak should never even be a topic of conversation, it’s so insignificant.

As soon as Amtrak management embraces a true growth strategy which includes good passenger service, then Amtrak will become more and more relevant. As long as Amtrak chooses to remain a ghost of America’s past transportation glory, it will be unimportant to almost everyone except Amtrak’s Amen Corner choruses, who are often Amtrak’s worst enemies in disguise because of the enabling they provide for poor management and bad business decisions.

6) We promised last week more in this issue about Amtrak’s winter naughtiness and the appalling lack of functioning locomotives outside of the Northeast Corridor. We promise – really – to address this topic in the next issue of TWA. We’re still gathering information, and had hoped to have more by this point in time.

If you are reading someone else’s copy of This Week at Amtrak, you can receive your own free copy each week by sending your e-mail address to

freetwa@unitedrail.org

You MUST include your name, preferred e-mail address, and city and state where you live. If you have filters or firewalls placed on your Internet connection, set your e-mail to receive incoming mail from twa@unitedrail.org; we are unable to go through any individual approvals processes for individuals. This mailing list is kept strictly confidential and is not shared or used for any purposes other than the distribution of This Week at Amtrak or related URPA materials.

All other correspondence, including requests to unsubscribe, should be addressed to

brucerichardson@unitedrail.org

URPA leadership members are available for speaking engagements.

J. Bruce Richardson

President

United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203

Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739

brucerichardson@unitedrail.org

http://www.unitedrail.org

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Articles

PORTRERO, CA - OCTOBER 26:  Charred branches l...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

UTA looks to change Davis bus routes

This article has more details on what UTA is proposing for Davis County.

Salt Lake City seeks funds to finish Jordan River trail

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Perils for Pedestrian Video

I haven't posted one of these in a couple of months so here is one covering events happening in Maryland including pedestrian facilities on new bridges. There is also a section talking about the proposed Purple line in the Washington DC Area.

Monday, January 26, 2009

UTA Board Meeting Announcment

utah transit authorityImage by pbo31 via Flickr

AGENDA OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UTAH TRANSIT AUTHORITY

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given of the regular meeting of the Board of

Trustees of the Utah Transit Authority at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday,

January 28, 2008, in the Golden Spike Rooms of the UTA Frontline

Headquarters Building located at 669 West 200 South, Salt Lake City,

Utah, with the following agenda.

1. Welcome.

-- Larry Ellertson

2. Swearing in of Board Members.

3. Public Comment (10 Minutes).

- Larry Ellertson

(The Board of Trustees invites brief comments or questions from the public during

regularly scheduled Board meetings. Please note, in order to be considerate of everyone

attending the meeting and to more closely follow the published agenda times, public

comments will be limited to two minutes per person per item. A spokesperson who has

been asked by a group to summarize their comments may be allowed five minutes to

speak.)

4. Resolutions

a. Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Utah Transit Authority

Approving the Interlocal Agreement between the Utah Transit Authority

and Eagle Mountain City.

--Michelle Baguley

b. Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Utah Transit Authority

Approving the Interlocal Agreement between the Utah Transit Authority

and Saratoga Springs.

--Michelle Baguley

5. President’s Report

-- Larry Ellertson

6. General Manager’s Report.

-- John Inglish

7. General Counsel’s Report.

– Bruce T. Jones

8. Closed Session.

a. Strategy Session to Discuss the Purchase, Exchange or Lease of Real

Property when Public Discussion would Prevent the Public Body from

Completing the Transaction on the Best Possible Terms.

b. Strategy Session to Discuss the Character, Professional Competence, or

Physical or Mental Health of an Individual.

c. Strategy Session to Discuss On-going and/or Potential Litigation.

9. Action Taken Regarding Matters Discussed in Closed Session.

– Larry Ellertson

10. Board Training.

11. Consent.

a. Approval of Financial Statements of November 30, 2008.

b. Approval of Minutes of Board Meeting of December 17, 2008.

12. Other Business.

a. Status of the Potential Federal Stimulus Program.

13. Adjournment.

The Board Mission Statement

Utah Transit Authority strengthens and connects communities thereby enabling individuals to

pursue a fuller life with greater ease and convenience by leading through partnering, planning, and

wise investment of physical, economic, and human resources.

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South Shore Line Commuter TrainImage by Shawn Econo via Flickr

Greetings,

Construction is progressing on UTA’s FrontRunner South Provo to Salt Lake Commuter Rail line.

Below is the FrontRunner South quick construction update for January 17 - 26.

To learn more about the FrontRunner South project, click here.

Area 16 — Downtown Salt Lake City to 4500 South (Murray)

Construction Activity:

There will be no construction occurring in the area this week.

Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no traffic impacts in this area.

Salt Lake Central Station:

Station complete.

Area 15 — 4500 South (Murray) to 7800 South (Midvale)

Construction Activity:

Fiber optic relocations continue in the area with boring taking place at 5300 South, I-215 and 7200 South this week.

Traffic Impacts:

None.

Murray-5300 South Station:

No station construction activities to report.

Area 14 — 7800 South (Midvale) to Bangerter Highway (Draper/Bluffdale)

Construction Activity:

Progress continues in Area 14 behind Salt Lake Community College’s campus at 9800 South as crews construct a bridge that flies over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. This is the area where FrontRunner will move from the east side to the west side of the tracks. Crews have driven steel pile into the ground to build the base of this structure and are continuing to construct rebar cages for drilled shafts. They will drill and pour one pier this week.

Crews are also constructing a bridge adjacent to the current Union Pacific Railroad bridge at 144th South. Crews will form and pour concrete for the back walls of the structure this week. We thank motorists in this area for their patience and support during construction.

Fiber optic work continues with boring taking place at 100th South and 123rd South.

Traffic Impacts:

A temporary traffic light has been placed at 144th South and the Union Pacific Bridge to help with traffic flow in this area.

South Jordan/Sandy Station:

No station construction activities to report.

Area 14 – Concrete is poured for the north abutment of a bridge adjacent to the current Union Pacific Railroad bridge at 144th South.

Area 13 — Bangerter Highway (Draper/Bluffdale) to Thanksgiving Point (Lehi)

Construction Activity:

Crews continue to establish access in this area and prepare the site along the railroad corridor in Bluffdale and Lehi. Excavation and embankment work throughout the area will continue this week as will fiber optic microduct installation.

Crews will form and pour concrete for the floor slab and aprons of a bridge spanning the East Jordan Canal. They will also begin to form the walls.

Traffic Impacts:

Impacts to motorists should be minimal as work proceeds along the railroad right-of-way.

Draper/Bluffdale Station:

No station construction activities to report.

Area 12 — Thanksgiving Point (Lehi) to Main Street (American Fork)

Construction Activity:

Crews will continue to work on temporary shoring for construction of the pedestrian tunnel that will run underneath the Union Pacific trackway at the Lehi Station.

Fiber optic work continues throughout the area with boring at roads and microduct installation taking place this week.

Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.

Lehi Station:

No station construction activities to report.

American Fork-Main St. Station:

Currently construction is not taking place at this station.

Area 11 — Main Street (American Fork) to 800 South (Orem)

Construction Activity:

Drainage and irrigation improvements and embankment work continues along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks from Orem to American Fork.

Construction is underway for a bridge spanning the American Fork River. Crews will continue to form and tie rebar for the north and south abutments this week.

Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.

Orem Station:

No station construction activities to report.

Area 10 — 800 South (Orem) to Center Street (Provo)

Construction Activity:

Significant progress has been made in Area 10 along the Union Pacific Railroad corridor between University Parkway in Orem and West Center Street in Provo. Crews have prepared a path for FrontRunner by grading and clearing the right-of-way and relocating water lines.

Crews will begin fiber optic microduct installation throughout the area this week.

Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.

Provo Station-University Ave. Station:

No station construction activities to report.

Thanks again for your interest in the FrontRunner South project. If you have construction related questions, please call our 24-hour construction hotline number at 1-888-800-8854. If you have specific questions about the FrontRunner South project, my contact information is listed below. To unsubscribe from this list, please click here, or simply send a reply message indicating you wish to unsubscribe.

Regards,

Marc Bowman
UTA Community Involvement Specialist
www.rideuta.com
801.236.4784


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