Politics & Government
Lehi Mayor denounces new TRAX realignment
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
Lehi Mayor Mark Johnson has spoken out against the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) new plans to bring TRAX to Utah County. In a video posted on Facebook, Johnson asked the public to contact UDOT to speak out for what’s best for Lehi residents.
It’s not the idea of bringing light rail to the city that Johnson objects to. He thinks it’s sorely needed. It is the rail alignment and timeline of completing the extension from Draper that he has problems with.
Johnson’s video denounces a new alignment that would route the proposed light rail system across 1-15 to the west side, instead of a previously proposed alignment on the east side of Lehi. He cites three reasons for his objection: the cost, the time it will take to build the system, and ease of service to Lehi residents.
The previously proposed east side alignment would extend the TRAX Blue Line from Draper Town Center to what would be called the Highline Station, located near Pluralsight and 14600 South on the east side of I-15, and around the point of the mountain to proposed Lehi stops near the Adobe campus and CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point.
“The advantage of the blue line is it’s a one-track system. You can get on in Lehi and it will take you downtown. You can get on and you don’t have to change trains,” Johnson said.
The new plan would begin the Utah County TRAX line west across I-15, coming from the Draper Front Runner Station and loop it through the former Utah State Prison site, now known as The Point development. The line would then cross I-15 to the east side to proceed into Lehi. This would create additional transfers and travel time for Lehi residents traveling downtown, according to Johnson.
Johnson said it doesn’t make sense to route Utah County residents on TRAX to FrontRunner in Draper because Lehi already has a connection to that station. “From a logistical standpoint, it makes sense to have both FrontRunner and TRAX the same way they have it in Salt Lake County, serving two different destinations,” he said.
“A direct route to the north will serve far more residents and make ridership much more attractive. This is a key component in helping to reduce traffic congestion. A connection through The Point project creates unnecessary delays and makes it more difficult to get to points north in the SLC area. The new alignment adds several other stops, and then riders have to transfer to FrontRunner, and possibly transfer back to a TRAX line, to get where they’re going,” Johnson continued.
In addition, Johnson said Utah Transit Authority (UTA) already owns much of the southern rail trail corridor in Utah County and all of it from Draper through Lehi. “The eastern route is a more direct route and can happen much faster. The new plan requires more time and more money. It is pushing everything out about two decades.”
Johnson feels bringing light rail to Lehi is already overdue. “Traffic studies show the best thing to curtail congestion is a transit system. This is an important component to start reducing traffic on our roads, which would have an immediate impact,” he said.
According to Johnson, other Utah County cities, including Saratoga Springs, American Fork, Highland, Alpine and Cedar Hills, are writing letters to UDOT in support of the east alignment. Johnson encourages citizens to contact UDOT about the plan by emailing pointtransit@utah.gov or calling UDOT offices at 385-374-9992.
