UDOT, UTA identify light rail as locally preferred alternative for Point of the Mountain transit; significant funding gap remains

The Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Transit Authority on Wednesday said light rail transit is the locally preferred alternative for high‑capacity transit across the Point of the Mountain corridor between Lehi and Draper, but that the project lacks funding to move immediately into full construction.

The locally preferred alternative, or LPA, was announced after release of a transit study update and a federal environmental assessment. “Light rail has been identified as the LPA based on these key criteria. It had the highest potential for economic growth. It had the highest forecasted ridership,” Jim Golden, transit division director at the Utah Department of Transportation, said during the Point of the Mountain public meeting.

The LPA matters because it sets the project configuration that the environmental review analyzed and that planners will seek funding to implement. The environmental assessment (EA) and transit study update examined three modes — bus rapid transit (BRT), light rail transit (LRT or TRAX), and a rail option referred to in the EA as XMU (a multi‑unit rail vehicle that could be diesel, hydrogen or battery powered). Officials said LRT best met long‑term goals for regional connectivity, travel time and economic development even though it requires substantially more capital investment than BRT.

What the EA found

Patty Garber, manager of environmental compliance and sustainability at UTA, summarized environmental differences among the modes: BRT produced the fewest impacts among the resource categories highlighted; LRT had moderate impacts, and XMU had the most. “For these resources of acquisitions, noise, vibration, and water, BRT only had impacts for acquisitions. LRT had impacts for acquisitions, noise, and water. XMU had impacts in all four categories,” Garber said.

The EA identifies a potential adverse effect to the historic Union Pacific and Utah Southern rail corridor; officials said they will mitigate that impact through a memorandum of agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office. Project leaders also said about half of the 10‑mile corridor is fully developed and the other half lies in UTA’s right of way, which includes the historic rail corridor.

Cost, funding and schedule

Project cost estimates cited in the meeting are in 2023 dollars. Golden and other staff provided these figures from the transit study update and EA: a planning‑level capital cost for a full LRT build of about $945,000,000; annual operations and maintenance in excess of $6,000,000 per year; and an estimated $4,400,000,000 in life‑cycle rehabilitation and replacement costs over 50 years. Officials said approximately $75,000,000 in state funds has been earmarked for the effort, leaving a substantial funding gap.

Because of that gap, UDOT and UTA described a phased approach. Phase 1 would begin with dedicated shuttles and innovative mobility zones — on‑demand services similar to UTA’s current Via pilot — timed to initial occupancy of development at The Point. Phase 2 would be the long‑term LRT buildout between Lehi and Draper.

“LRT is much more challenging and expensive to implement, so generally takes longer,” Marcus Bennett, UTA project manager, said when asked whether choosing LRT delays service. Officials said both BRT and LRT remain unfunded and carry uncertain schedules; the project is programmed in Phase 2 of the regional transportation plan, which officials described as a 10‑to‑20‑year horizon unless new funds are identified sooner.

Ridership and prioritization

Officials said LRT shows the highest ridership in their planning models, but participants in the meeting questioned the absolute ridership projections and cost‑effectiveness compared with other UTA lines. Project staff responded that the corridor’s strengths include economic development potential and long‑range planning benefits, and that those strengths — rather than short‑term ridership alone — factored into selecting LRT as the LPA.

Compatibility and related projects

The project team said the Point of the Mountain transit study is separate from the FrontRunner 2x project, which will add double track and a future Bluffdale FrontRunner station north of Lehi and south of Draper. The EA assumes the LRT would connect to Draper FrontRunner Station but could be reevaluated in the future to terminate at Bluffdale if the FrontRunner connection is advanced.

Maintenance facility and property impacts

For LRT, the EA cleared a maintenance facility on a UTA‑owned parcel near the corridor; a different site referenced earlier in the study was cleared as an operations and maintenance facility for a BRT option. Project staff said most property impacts are partial strip acquisitions and are largely commercial, government or vacant parcels. On safety, planners said pedestrian access controls and visibility treatments would be part of project design where rail meets sidewalks.

Public participation and next steps

Project staff said the EA has been released for public comment and that the public comment period was open through July 10; comments can be submitted by email, mail or hotline. After the public comment period, officials said they anticipate issuing a decision document later this year and continuing to seek funding from state, federal and other sources.

Officials repeatedly noted that funding availability and grant competitiveness will drive schedule. “When we evaluate pursuing federal funds…with the current metrics, it doesn’t pencil out,” Marcus Bennett said. Staff said changes in federal program rules, higher transit utilization, or state legislative appropriations could accelerate the timeline.

Ending

Project leaders said they will continue public outreach, preserve the corridor dimensions needed for LRT through ongoing development planning at The Point, and proceed with finalizing the EA and pursuing funding opportunities. The project team encouraged written comments on the EA by the published deadline and offered a hotline and project website for more information.