UTA announces ambitious 30-year transit plan: UTA Moves 2050
Salt Lake City—The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Board of Trustees formally adopted the agency’s Long-Range Transit Plan, UTA Moves 2050.
This comprehensive vision is the result of close collaboration between UTA; regional transportation and planning partners such as the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) and Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG); and local communities to meet the growing public transportation demands of the Wasatch Front during the next 30 years. UTA Moves 2050 lays the groundwork for a future where transit services are more frequent, reliable, accessible and effective at helping Utah achieve sustainable growth and a better quality of life.
Priorities and phasing recommended in UTA Moves 2050 are the result of many sources of data and partnerships, including regional transportation plans, financial assessments and forecasts of population and development growth. It also reflects public feedback from meetings and listening sessions, formal comments and an online survey.
“More frequent service on bus, FrontRunner and TRAX was a repeated priority by both riders and non-riders,” said Alex Beim, manager of long-range and strategic planning at UTA. “The plan reflects phasing and projects to both speed up our service while maintaining reliability and safety.”
To guide future investment decisions among the many options, the plan recommends four core strategies: maintain the current system and infrastructure; enhance the system to be faster, more reliable, easier to navigate and more responsive; expand the frequency of service, including 15-minute or better on many bus and rail services; and serve and expand in growth areas to support transit-oriented communities and developments.
Utah’s record growth presents opportunities and challenges for public transportation. UTA Moves 2050 looks closely at topics like land use, population density and growth patterns, and specific performance and costs for various types of transit service to identify innovative options. The plan also supports larger UTA goals, such as making transit service available within one-half mile of 70% of the population in its service area.
“UTA follows a comprehensive public involvement and partnering process from plan to investment and study to construction,” said Beim. “We understand that growth, technology, funding and demand may change over the next three decades. UTA Moves 2050 sets an informed roadmap to move towards and a solid foundation for future updates and refinements.”
UTA Moves 2050 will have its next update in 2027. For more information about UTA Moves 2050 and to stay updated on projects and progress, visit rideuta.com/lrtp.
Additional Transportation Planning Partners Interview Sources:
Nate Currey, Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC): 801-706-0039, [email protected]
Johnathon Knapton (MAG): 801-229-3836, [email protected]
John Gleason (UDOT): 801-560-7740, [email protected]
