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UTA to Begin Testing Airport TRAX Line

Major construction on the Utah Transit Authority TRAX Line to the Salt Lake International Airport is wrapping up this week with testing scheduled to begin as early as next week. UTA officials announced today the light rail system will be officially open on April 14, 2013. Utah Transit Authority spokesman, Gerry Carpenter, says with commuter rail to Provo opening in December, all metro areas will soon be connected.

"This is really the connection that puts it all together," he says. "It allows visitors to the Wasatch front to come in on a flight and connect easily to downtown or other destinations along the Wasatch front. It allows workers who work at the airport to get to work easily and conveniently and it also provides that great connection to the airport for those who live here and are traveling to other parts of the world."

Carpenter says safety certification of the new section is the main concern right now as the testing phase begins. He says drivers and pedestrians need to be extra mindful of the new activity along North Temple. He says the project is finishing on budget and nearly two years ahead of schedule.

Bob Nelson is a graduate of the University of Utah with a BA in mass communications. He began his radio career at KUER in 1978 when it was still in Kingsbury Hall. That’s also where he met his wife, Maria Shilaos, in 1981. Bob left KUER for commercial radio where he worked for 25 years, and he is thrilled to be back at KUER. Bob and his family are part of an explorer group, fondly known as The Hordes and Masses, which has been seeking out ghost towns and little-known places in Utah for more than twenty years.
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