Interesting article in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune, regarding the tantalizing possibility that Sugar House may be the first community in Utah to adopt a "modern" street car system. We incorporate Brandon Loomis's introductory paragraphs below:
The view from a Sugar House front porch is homey: narrow streets, tree-canopied sidewalks, stroller-pushing moms.(And alas... here we were hoping Ogden City would be "the first." It appears these forward thinking Salt Lake County entities "somehow" got the jump on us, however.)
Paint in the kind of slow-moving streetcars that rumbled over urban Utah rails decades ago and you'd think it was the 1950s. It soon will be, in a sense, if a joint study by Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake and the Utah Transit Authority leads where planners hope - to Utah's first modern streetcar line.
Toward the middle of the article Mr. Loomis describes the proposed route:
The Sugar House route stretches for two miles behind dozens of warehouses and tire shops from the Granite Block's south edge around 2200 South to TRAX light rail at 2100 South. The two cities and UTA are splitting the cost of a $300,000 study, and the line ultimately could cost $37 million and serve 2,300 people a day. Construction would come after the three parties find funding.According to the article, not only is this a joint study by Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake and the Utah Transit Authority that's already underway, but Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker stands solidly behind it:
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker has pushed to expedite the link, and city planners see it as just the start of a web connecting denser neighborhoods with TRAX.Being the curious type, after reading this SLTrib article, we wondered what's happened to Ogden's pending combination transportation and alternative analysis which we last discussed in mid-May of this year.
We spoke with Council Chair Amy Wicks this morning; and she kindly provided this information update:
1) Shortly following the council's above-referenced council work session, a meeting was convened with representatives of all the major "stakeholders." Representatives from the following public and private entities were in in attendance, among others: The UTA, UDOT, WSU, McKay Dee Hospital, Weber County and the Ogden Mayor's Office. In the course of this meeting the UTA agreed to draft an interlocal agreement for a joint study, apportioning the obligations of each of these stakeholders with respect to the pursuit of the subject transportation study analysis. Although this draft agreement has not yet been yet received from the UTA, it's expected to be completed any day now.
2) UTA's Mick Crandall has already confirmed that the $200 thousand in federal transportation study funds, which were stealthily granted to UTA for Ogden City's benefit last year, would be fully applicable, as at least a portion Ogden City's share of the costs of the combo transportation alternative/EIR analysis.
We'll consider this to be good news, evidence that the process of adopting a "modern streetcar system" in Ogden is generally "on track."
The bad news?
We have a lingering sensation that Boss Godfrey might not share Mayor Becker's commitment to reasonable transportation alternatives -- such as streetcars. In truth, Ogden citizens have every reason to remain gun-shy. Hopefully our city council can continue to keep his feet to the fire on this -- and disabuse Boss Godfrey of his gondola obsession.
That's our update. We thought our gentle readers would want to know about this.
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