Transit Projects Get Sales Tax Funding

None by KCPW

County Officials, Mayors Agree Nearly Unanimously

(KCPW News) Months of antagonistic debate ended in a near-unanimous vote today (yesterday) by local mayors and the county council. They decided to spend a sales tax hike on building commuter rail in Salt Lake County, adding two new TRAX lines and improving I-80 near 13th East. West Valley City Mayor Dennis Nordfelt engineered the compromise:

"This was the best use of the money made available to us by those who voted for Proposition 3, and it will result in the biggest bang for congestion relief," says Nordfelt.

The voter-approved tax hike will raise 3 billion dollars over the next thirty years. Part of the money is already earmarked for the Mountain View Corridor. Most of the Salt Lake County Council and numerous local mayors have objected to spending the money on roads instead of TRAX extension. Councilman Joe Hatch says voters approved the tax hike with the understanding they would get four new light rail extensions. The State Legislature tinkered with the proposal and threw roads into the mix. But Hatch ended up supporting today's list, because the Utah Transit Authority says it's enough:

"UTA says with that money flowing to transit, they'll have enough additional funds to do all five transit projects," notes Hatch. "So I'm a happy camper."

UTA officials say they can begin work immediately on the four TRAX lines and commuter rail for completion within 10 years.

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