Federal government grants $116 million for Draper TRAX line
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Mayor Darrell Smith signs an official announcement stating that the Draper segment of the UTA TRAX line project will receive federal funding from the United States Department of Transportation.
Draper City, the Utah Transit Authority and TRAX riders should soon benefit from federal aid to cover construction costs of local public transportation.
On Dec. 12, Federal Transit Administration Chief Peter Rogoff announced that the Draper segment of the UTA TRAX line would receive $116 million in funding from the United States Department of Transportation to cover about 60 percent of the estimated $194 million project cost.
Draper City Mayor Darrell Smith called the announcement “historic” and said the city would benefit from having public transportation available to local residents.
The Draper TRAX line is currently under construction in the Union Pacific railway corridor, which was purchased by UTA in 1993.
The new UTA TRAX rail line will extend southward from the Sandy Civic Center Station at approximately 10000 South out to Pioneer Road.
Work has begun on the rail line to accommodate a double track and at least three stops -- at 11400 South, 11800 South and 12400 South -- installed along the route that would end at 12400 South near Draper City Hall.
UTA crews are working to relocate utility lines in the rail corridor, such as fiber optic cables, phone and power lines.
Earlier this year, crews began the project by clearing away undergrowth and excavating the route to prepare the rail line for new tracks.
Overhead power lines and the stations along the rail corridor have yet to be built.
Construction work on the project is nearly 50 percent complete and could be finished in May. The line is expected to open ahead of schedule, near the end of 2012.
The UTA TRAX line in Draper is being paid for through a combination of federal funding and local sales tax dollars.
UTA Spokesperson Gerry Carpenter said the local TRAX line project is the first stop in plans to extend the rail line in Draper as far south as 14600 South at the Point of the Mountain.
The Draper segment of the UTA TRAX line is one of five expansion projects, including a new rail line in West Valley City, the Mid-Jordan TRAX extension, a connecting rail line to the Salt Lake International Airport and a FrontRunner commuter line connecting Salt Lake City to Provo.
