(The Salt Lake Tribune posted the following article on its website on March 27.)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The TRAX light-rail extension to the University of Utah’s medical complex is expected to open by the end of September — more than one year ahead of schedule.
Utah Transit Authority executive Mike Allegra on Wednesday confirmed speculation that the opening would be much earlier than the original November 2004 target.
Also on Wednesday, the UTA’s board of trustees bestowed names on the three TRAX stations now being built along the 1.5-mile line.
Moving east from the current end-of-line at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the stops are “University South Campus” on South Campus Drive, “Fort Douglas” on Wasatch Drive and “University Medical Center” on Medical Drive.
However, the University Medical Center stop is closer to Primary Children’s Medical Center and the future site of the Moran Eye Center. University Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the colleges and research facilities that make up the U.’s Health Sciences Center are a short distance farther up the hill.
“We are just pleased to have it here,” said Primary Children’s spokeswoman Bonnie Midget. “It will greatly benefit employees and patient families.”
An early completion date — the $89.4 million project was launched in May 2002 — is the result of three significant factors, said Allegra, UTA’s rail-development director.
–Mild winter weather.
–Fewer problems underground than expected. That means water pipes, sewer systems and buried utility lines were where the contractor, Salt Lake Rail Constructors, expected them to be.
–The contractor, which built the downtown-to-U. extension and won the bid for the east campus extension, also had the advantage of crews and equipment already in place when work on the second phase began.
Much of the track has been laid, and installation of poles to hold overhead power lines that propel the train began March 10. The north side of South Campus Drive is being paved and is expected to be open by April 29.
Allegra also credits close cooperation from the University of Utah in placing TRAX deep into its campus.
The U. had incentive. With 28,400 students and 18,000 faculty and staff, the university is the state’s third-largest employer (not counting the LDS Church). Included in those numbers are 11,000 faculty, staff and students in the health sciences complex. Nearby Primary Children’s Hospital has an additional 2,500 employees.
The university’s upper and lower campuses were running out of space for new parking lots. To counter the congestion, Primary Children’s owner, Intermountain Health Care, and the U. chipped in $1 million of the TRAX extension’s cost.
The U. also will turn over one-third of a new parking structure — 250 stalls — for use as a park-and-ride lot at the University South Campus station.
“Six to eight months ago, I was told they were moving ahead much faster, and they’ve done a great job with it,” said Linda Amos, associate vice president for Health Sciences. “We are a campus that is congested. People will welcome the opportunity to have an alternative — and that includes patients.”