How well does your trail work?

I am a walker, I love to do a lot of walking. While it may not show right now with the pounds I need to do I have walked more than 15 miles in a single day.

When I visited Portland before moving up here in 2010 and early 2011, and after moving here I would do walks suggested by Laura Foster in her books "Portland City Walks" and "Portland Hill Walks" which are two books I would highly recommend if you want to do sightseeing in Portland on foot.

However there is also times I like to walk off road trails because they tend to be quieter and I can do some hard thinking along the way. When I lived in Salt Lake City I would walk the Jordan River Trail that travels the center of the Salt Lake Valley and when I lived in Spokane, WA I would often walk the Centennial trail that traveled from Spokane to Couer D' Alene ,Idaho.

Here in Portland I live realtively close to the Fanno Creek Trail which travels from Tualatin to Portland along several different rights of way and sometimes in streets. I have walked part of the trail that is along an old rail line but have not attempted to walk the who trail until last week.

One of the problems with attempting to walk the entire Fanno Creek trail is the lack of a map that is easy to access. In fact I have not been able to find any map that shows the entire trail from beginning to end that is current. I had to piece together all the information in order to find my way.

Compare that to the Jordan River Parkway which has easy to access maps:
Jordan River Parkway

Or the Centennial Trail in the Spokane area:
Centennial Trail Map

Which is part of Google Maps

Jordan River Trail Closes for TRAX construction

Image by Steven Vance via Flickr

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gerry Carpenter, 801-859-6095

Date: March 26, 2010 Press Release





Jordan River Parkway Closure

In Midvale For TRAX Construction





Midvale – A section of the Jordan River Parkway trail near Gardner Village will close for two weeks beginning Monday, March 29, to accommodate TRAX construction in the area. The trail is planned to reopen on April 12 weather permitting.



The closure will extend from 7200 South to 7800 South in Midvale. No trail detour will be available for the duration of the work. A section of the trail is being relocated a few feet east to accommodate a widening of the railroad embankment for the future Mid-Jordan TRAX line.



“The closure is taking place as early as possible in the construction season to minimize the impact later in the spring when the trail use is much heavier,” Greg Thorpe, UTA project manager said. “We recognize how important the Parkway is for recreational use in this area.”



The 10.6-mile Mid-Jordan TRAX line will run from the Murray 6400 South TRAX station southwest through Midvale and West Jordan to the Daybreak development in South Jordan. It is projected to carry more than 5,300 riders per day at opening.



Questions from the public regarding this closure should be directed to the Mid-Jordan TRAX construction hotline at (888) 550-2211.



More information about the Mid-Jordan TRAX project is available at www.rideuta.com/projects/midjordanlightrail.





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Established in 1970, UTA has become a multi-modal transportation leader that is 100 percent accessible with 69 light rail vehicles, 35 commuter rail cars and more than 600 buses. UTA’s TRAX light rail system is currently averaging more than 40,000 riders a day along its 15-mile Salt Lake-Sandy line and the 4-mile University Line. UTA is an ISO 14001:2004 9001:2000 certified agency. During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, UTA’s transit system was declared a great success on the international scene - carrying more than four million Olympic riders.



Follow UTA on Twitter:@RideUTA 16-UTA-032610

Mid Jordan TRAX line construction update

Image via Wikipedia

Mid-Jordan Light Rail TRAX Construction Update: June 26, 2009*

Please forward this information on to others that would be interested.

*This schedule is subject to change due to weather, materials issues, or unanticipated utility conflicts.

Bangerter Bridge

Activity: Handrail installation. Traffic Impacts: Northbound and southbound traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM on 6/27 (Saturday).



Activity: Crews will be performing work on the Bangerter Highway overpass at approximately 8700 South. Traffic Impacts: The median will be closed through July.




Sugar Factory Area

Activity: Please be aware that flagging operations will be taking place intermittently through June at 2700 West near the tracks to accommodate construction vehicles; please follow flagger’s instructions.



Activity: Please be aware that flagging operations will be taking place intermittently through June at 3200 West near the tracks to accommodate construction vehicles; please follow flagger’s instructions.




Old Bingham Area

Activity: Eastbound shoulder closure on Old Bingham Highway west of Bangerter Highway through July.



Activity: Please be aware that flagging operations will be taking place intermittently through 2009 at 4800 West near Old Bingham Highway to accommodate construction vehicles. Please note that left turns are not restricted; please follow flagger’s instructions.



Activity: Please be aware that flagging operations will be taking place intermittently through 2009 at Wasatch Meadows Drive near Old Bingham Highway to accommodate construction vehicles. Please note that left turns are not restricted; please follow flagger’s instructions.



Activity: Please be aware that flagging operations will be taking place intermittently through 2009 at 5200 West and the railway to accommodate construction vehicles.



Activity: Utility work is currently ongoing. Traffic Impacts: Shoulder work with possible lane restrictions.




Gardner Village Area

Activity: Utility work. Crews will be working on 700 West near approximately 7400 south. Traffic Impacts: The northbound right lane will be closed from 6/30 (Tuesday) through 7/7 (Tuesday). The southbound shoulder of 700 West will be closed in this immediate area through July.



Activity: Utility work and new crossing installation at 1300 West at the trackway located at approximately 7900 South. Traffic Impacts: From June 22nd through July 1st, 1300 West will be closed at the railroad tracks. Please plan accordingly and use Redwood Road as an alternate route.



Activity: Access to Gardner Village from the Jordan River Parkway Trail is closed until August 2009.



Activity: Construction on the Jordan River TRAX bridge. Traffic Impacts: A temporary detour began the week of October 13th, 2008 on the Jordan River Parkway Trail near approximately 7500 South. The trail will be intermittently detoured through August 2009. Please be aware that the detour does cross a live railway track, and as such, the detour will be closed daily from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. when freight is actively running on the track. Please plan accordingly. UPDATE (6/26/09): The trail will be detoured during daytime hours on 7/7 and 7/8 to accommodate girder installation.




Cottonwood Area

UPDATE Activity: Bridge girder delivery. Traffic Impacts: Due to unforeseen delays, the Winchester Street closure has been rescheduled for 7/6 through 7/7. Winchester Street will be closed approximately 1000’ west of Cottonwood Street to accommodate bridge girder delivery. Please plan accordingly and use detour routes as posted. Upcoming work will require a period of approximately two weeks lane restrictions with intermittent flagging operations; more information will be posted as this work nears.






If you have any construction-related questions, please call the construction hotline at (888) 550-2211.





If you have any questions or concerns regarding the project, please let me know.

Sarah Loughlin

Community Involvement Specialist

Utah Transit Authority

801-236-4783

sloughlin@rideuta.com