Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Thirty-Year Transit Plan for Wasatch Front Unveiled

The Wasatch Front Regional Council has adopted a plan to guide transportation investments over the next three decades.

The 2015-2040 Regional Transportation Plan is what the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Transit Authority and cities and counties will use as a blueprint for transportation projects moving forward. 

WFRC adopts an updated long-range transportation plan every four years. Andrew Gruber is Executive Director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council. He says the region’s transportation needs are constantly changing.

“Our population continues to grow and businesses continue to locate and expand here in Utah and one thing we’re hearing is people want choices,” Gruber says.

One major investment included in the plan is the completion of the mountain-view corridor, a freeway, transit and trail system in Western Salt Lake and northwestern Utah counties designed to help alleviate congestion. The plan also includes an expansion in public transit service and coverage and even a separated bike lane that runs from Ogden through Salt Lake City, down to Provo.

Gruber says those investments will enhance the quality of life in the region.  

“It’s going to increase people’s access to jobs within a reasonable amount of time, a significant increase in the number of jobs people can get to and educational opportunities which is crucial to our economy,” he says.

The council anticipates a 53 percent reduction in emissions from cars trucks and busses over the course of the planning period. 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.