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PROVO — Could commuter rail to Utah County be ready to ride a year sooner than originally planned? At least one county commissioner is optimistic it could happen.
Utah County Commission Chairman Larry Ellertson said Tuesday during his State of the County remarks that the planned FrontRunner South rail line — originally slated for a 2014 completion date — could be operational by early December, more than a year ahead of schedule.
Ellertson, who also serves as a member of the Utah Transit Authority board of trustees, said that while getting the FrontRunner South line up and running by year's end is an attainable goal, whether it will be reached would probably be determined in the next few months.
Whether Ellertson's prediction materializes may have a lot to do with the county's ability to raise approximately $45 million to $50 million. The added funding is needed because when the project was approved five years ago, the economy was booming. But a sharp decline in sales tax revenue has meant the funding source UTA was counting on to operate the line has declined dramatically.
Ellertson said the county is in the process of developing a bonding mechanism to raise the vast majority of the necessary dollars. Doing so would allow UTA to use its dedicated funding to finish construction on the extension, while the added county money would fund initial operations, he said.
Expediting the timeline would bring a new transportation option to the people of Utah County — something that has been sorely needed for some time, he said.
"Everyone is excited to see it," Ellertson said. "They are saying, 'We're going to use it.'"
"We're investing not only for now, but for the future as well," he continued. "As we continue to grow, this will become one of those gems in our transportation system."
Everyone is excited to see it. They are saying, 'We're going to use it.'
–Larry Ellertson
UTA promised commuters that they would save time when the new FrontRunner South line opens. The agency projects 7,500 passengers will ride the train each day. In addition to four stops in Utah County, FrontRunner South will also have stops in South Jordan and Murray.
However, construction on the Utah County extension is more complex than work on the line to Ogden, which is already in operation. Instead of just two bridges that had to be built for the northern route, the southern line requires 20 bridges, making the project more expensive.
According to UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter, much of the track work and all of the bridge construction is complete. And the final stages of the project could realistically be done much sooner with an extra infusion of cash from the county to expedite construction.
"FrontRunner is fairly expensive to operate, so we need to make sure we have the funds there," Carpenter said. "We want to make sure we have the funds to responsibly finish the project and ensure that we have the budget to begin operations."
Meanwhile, Ellertson said that increasing the capacity of the area's public transit system will be a much more efficient alternative than increasing the capacity of roadways and has additional benefits as well.
"It's good for economic development," he explained. "A number of businesses looking to locate here view rail as plus. This is a step in building out a more robust transit system."
Email:jlee@ksl.com
