This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The next big transportation project proposed for Utah County — a "bus rapid-transit system" through Provo and Orem — will be previewed at an open house this week.
It is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Westmore Elementary School, 1150 S. Main St., in Orem.
Such projects are sometimes described as a "TRAX on rubber wheels," where buses instead of trains have their own lanes in the middle of a highway, with trainlike stations where passengers buy tickets from vending machines for faster boarding. The boarding is also level — without stairs — and electronic signs at stations say when the next bus will arrive.
The first such system in Utah is operating on part of 3500 South in West Valley City.
The project proposes what would eventually be an 11-mile system from Orem Intermodal Center at 800 South and Interstate 15 to Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University, Provo Intermodal Center and University Avenue at I-15.
Upon completion, 71 percent of the route would be bus-only lanes that would be added to such roads as University Parkway and University Avenue, as well as others through Utah Valley University. The project would also add two general-purpose lanes on University Parkway from State Street to University Avenue.
Gerry Carpenter, spokesman for the Utah Transit Authority, said no firm date has been set for construction and that it depends largely on the availability of federal funding. But he said officials would like to see the first phase finished when the FrontRunner commuter rail is completed, now scheduled for 2014.
An environmental assessment has been completed for the proposed bus rapid-transit project, and it will be discussed at the open house. A copy of the assessment is available at http://www.provo-oremrapidtransit.info.
That report estimated the project would cost $297 million in 2013 dollars. It projects that 16,400 people would ride the system a day in 2030, compared with 3,600 who ride buses in the area today. It said frequency during rush hour for buses would be every five minutes, instead of every 15 minutes currently.
The report said the project would require moving 10 homes, three industrial buildings and one UVU structure. It said 65 utility lines would be relocated. Because of extra noise, it said noise barriers would be considered on College Drive and Ridgecrest Circle.