$75 Million Awarded for Utah Transit Authority's Bus Rapid Transit
The line will connect two communities south of Salt Lake City
The DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced the award of $75 million to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in order to build a 10.5-mile bus rapid transit (BRT). According to the news release, the line will connect two communities south of Salt Lake City and provide service between two of the state’s biggest universities.
The federal grant will fund close to half the cost of the line.
“When completed, the Provo-Orem BRT line will add another important link in Salt Lake City’s increasingly comprehensive regional transit system,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The Obama Administration is pleased to support a project that will provide quick and efficient transit access to jobs, schools and other opportunities in Utah’s growing Wasatch Front region.”
More specifically, the line will start at the Orem Transit Center and run to downtown Provo, making stops at Utah Valley University, Brigham young University and Provo Central Station.
“The Provo-Orem BRT line will help create new connections for residents, commuters, and students and faculty traveling to and from the universities and Provo’s bustling downtown,” said FTA Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers. “This new transportation option will serve an area that is seeing significant job growth, and help the two cities limit traffic congestion and reduce their environmental footprint even as their populations increase.”