Wasatch Front committee reviews draft 2026–2031 TIP, reports 400+ public comments

The Wasatch Front Technical Advisory Committee reviewed the draft 2026–2031 Transportation Improvement Program and staff summary of public comments, and heard that more than 400 comments were received during a June public review period.

Why it matters: The TIP compiles projects that the committee will recommend to the Transcom and then to the regional council; the council’s approval moves projects toward inclusion in the statewide STIP and federal review by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

Committee staffer Ben [last name not specified] said the public-review package included project tables organized by program — Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) — plus an air‑conformity memorandum. Ben told the committee the draft went out for public review beginning July 28 and closed August 2 and that Transcom will review the materials on Aug. 21 and the regional council on Aug. 28. He said UDOT will then assemble the statewide TIP for federal review and that staff expect a new TIP to take effect Oct. 1.

Wayne [last name not specified], who summarized the public outreach, said, “Between the online interactive map and the 3 open houses, we've received over 400 comments from the public, elected officials, staff.” He told the committee the in‑person open houses coincided with local baseball events and that the online open house also drew substantial participation.

Wayne summarized common themes from commenters: strong support for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; requests to safely accommodate cyclists and pedestrians in specific roadway projects; support for transit service improvements and expansion (including a TechLink corridor from the airport through downtown to the U and FrontRunner double‑tracking); backing for the Rio Grande plan in downtown Salt Lake City; and opposition or concern about a proposed road project in Emigration Canyon. He said some commenters urged prioritizing transit over highway expansion.

Ben said both comments and staff responses will be posted on the project website once staff finish preparing replies. He also asked project sponsors and jurisdictions to review comments that relate to specific projects and coordinate responses with UDOT and UTA where appropriate.

Committee members asked where the public comments would be visible. Ben said the comments received during the public review would be posted to the TIP GIS/interactive map and that the review period comments are now locked and being tallied.

Staff also walked members through the next funding cycle and schedule for letters of intent. Ben said a letter of intent is required to be eligible to submit a concept report, and that letters will be due Sept. 25; concept reports, if the project is eligible, will be due in December. He urged jurisdictions to consider phasing large projects, noting that projects over about $6 million can consume funding and that breaking a large program into phases has been successful for several jurisdictions.

Discussion only: The committee received the briefing and discussed outreach themes and schedule; there was no formal vote at this meeting on the TIP.

What’s next: Staff will forward the draft TIP, a summary of comments, and full comment records to Transcom on Aug. 21. Transcom’s recommendation and the regional council review are scheduled for Aug. 28. If the council approves, UDOT will assemble the statewide TIP for federal review toward an Oct. 1 effective date.

Ending note: Staff emphasized the availability of detailed project lists in the TIP document and encouraged jurisdictions to use those lists to generate letters of intent when the packet is distributed in late August.