hkskyline
May 8th, 2005, 06:56 AM
Feds approve environmental study for commuter rail
5 May 2005
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Federal Transit Administration has approved the environmental impact statement for part of the commuter rail system proposed by the Utah Transit Authority.
The environmental study was for the section between Pleasant View and Salt Lake City.
"This is a great achievement," Utah Transit Authority General Manager John Inglish said Wednesday in announcing the Federal Transit Authority's environmental approval of the project. "The next time we meet (for this) will be to turn dirt."
Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin sometime this year, with completion expected in 2008.
The cost for just the first phase is estimated at $500 million. Funding will come through a quarter-cent sales tax approved by Davis, Salt Lake and Weber county voters in the 2000 elections and from the federal government. The federal funds, expected to account for half of the cost, still need approval from the Federal Transit Authority.
Dannie McConkie, chairman of the Davis County Commission, said completion of the project likely would cause some residents along the 44-mile route to "re-evaluate their mobility choices" between using motor vehicle and commuter rail.
The FTA's approval of the environmental impact statement clears the way for UTA to begin acquiring 140 parcels of private property along the rail route. The property is needed primarily for park-and-ride lots at the nine stations planned along the route.
5 May 2005
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Federal Transit Administration has approved the environmental impact statement for part of the commuter rail system proposed by the Utah Transit Authority.
The environmental study was for the section between Pleasant View and Salt Lake City.
"This is a great achievement," Utah Transit Authority General Manager John Inglish said Wednesday in announcing the Federal Transit Authority's environmental approval of the project. "The next time we meet (for this) will be to turn dirt."
Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin sometime this year, with completion expected in 2008.
The cost for just the first phase is estimated at $500 million. Funding will come through a quarter-cent sales tax approved by Davis, Salt Lake and Weber county voters in the 2000 elections and from the federal government. The federal funds, expected to account for half of the cost, still need approval from the Federal Transit Authority.
Dannie McConkie, chairman of the Davis County Commission, said completion of the project likely would cause some residents along the 44-mile route to "re-evaluate their mobility choices" between using motor vehicle and commuter rail.
The FTA's approval of the environmental impact statement clears the way for UTA to begin acquiring 140 parcels of private property along the rail route. The property is needed primarily for park-and-ride lots at the nine stations planned along the route.