Rail commuters to transit hub
may end up having to take the bus

Costly delay: Rocky's project manager says the
mayor's office is causing delays in the TRAX design
By Heather May

When commuter rail passengers disembark at the transit hub on the west side of downtown Salt Lake City in 2008, they're supposed to be able to hop onto TRAX to get to their final destinations. But they may have to take buses instead, at least initially.
Design and construction of a light-rail line connecting the city's transit hub at 300 South and 600 West to the TRAX line that now ends at the Delta Center has been delayed to such an extent that TRAX may not be available when commuter rail starts.
"I'm concerned we're not going to be able to meet the commuter rail schedule," Mary Guy-Sell, Mayor Rocky Anderson's transit hub project manager, told the City Council Tuesday night.
And she and others in the mayor's office are responsible for the delay, she said. The mayor's office is negotiating with Utah Transit Authority on the costs of the TRAX extension and who will pay what portion. The delay is costing the project $10,000 a month.
Meantime, the administration is pressing the council to let it design the TRAX extension so the city can try to meet the commuter rail deadline. But there's a problem with that, too.
The mayor's office has already spent $800,000 on preliminary design work and wants another $1.7 million to finish the job. But the council Tuesday night questioned whether the mayor's office had the authority to spend the $800,000. And they were upset the mayor's office is planning to include in the design two TRAX stations between the transit hub and the Delta Center.
The mayor wants two to help spur dense development. Some council members want one, which will save on design and construction costs. UTA also wants one.
It was a particularly testy meeting. Council members were incredulous the mayor's office was already spending money when the number of stations hasn't been decided by either the Planning Commission or council. "I can't believe we're spending money if it has to go through that [Planning Commission] process," said Councilwoman Jill Remington Love.
The discussion is stuck in a Catch-22. Council members say they won't decide on the stations until funding of the $33.5 million project is resolved, which could take another month, according to UTA. But having a decision on the stations may help the city's negotiations with UTA, say Anderson's staff.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. The council is expected to decide next week on whether to allocate money for the design. They won't resolve the stations until later.
hmay@sltrib.com