Del Cook, a staffer in the city engineer's office, said the Student Engineers Associates' plan, unveiled Friday, could give the project a boost.
"This gives a third party analysis to what we as staff people were projecting," he said. "It is a whole other backup to what we have."
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and Davis County are applying for grants to get the trail built along the Jordan River from 1700 North to Interstate 215. Cook said the students' feasibility study, which projected it would cost $2.3 million for the best alternative, kick-starts the process.
One important aspect of this trail segment is that it would connect with the Legacy Parkway trail system scheduled to be completed this fall, improving bicycle commuting trails into Salt Lake City.
According to Larry Reavely, who teaches civil engineering at the U., professors try to give graduating seniors real-life experience by working on a project that can help the community.
Past projects have included designs for a trail system near the Brighton ski area, the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah, the Parleys Trail crossing, and a parking garage at the Utah State Capitol complex.
The engineering students broke into teams to study various aspects of the project, from pedestrian and traffic bridges to geotechnical concerns and environmental issues, especially involving wetlands.
Scott McAllister, manager of the student group, called the project a lot of work, a lot of fun, and occasionally aggravating.
"With the level of analysis that went into the project and two trail alternatives well thought out and designed, we were happy to hear city engineers think [the alternatives] are pretty good," he said.
Still, U. professors, city engineers and other professionals who attended Friday's presentation peppered students with questions about the cost of bridges, concrete as a trail surface, cost overruns, and environmental issues.
Students also had to decide how the trail might be best aligned to take advantage of the Legacy Parkway, and a proposed Salt Lake City sports complex, a motocross track and an animal shelter located along the route.
The other major portion of the Jordan River Parkway trail not yet finished in Salt Lake City runs from Interstate 80 to North Temple.
