UTA awards contract to study $1.2 billion extension plan

SALT LAKE CITY — A TRAX line could be extended to Lehi, according to plans by the Utah Transit Authority.

One possible option is to extend the Blue Line through Draper to Lehi. The other option is to extend the Red Line west from the FrontRunner station in Sandy to South Jordan on its way to Lehi.

The interim director of UTA, Steve Meyer, says UTA will evaluate the two options according to cost, ridership, and speed.

UTA is also considering the environmental impact of each plan, Meyer says.

The study on the environmental impact should take a little over a year to complete.

These two routes are “the starting point,” Meyer said.

On Wednesday, UTA awarded an $800,000 contract to study the best way to make the connection.

Parametrix, a Washington-based consulting firm, was the recipient of the contract.

There is no currently enough funding available for the contract, Meyer says.

The available money, $550,000, is largely from Salt Lake County. UTA can finalize multiple aspects of the project when it secures the remainder of the money.

The price of the TRAX extension will be at least $1.2 billion, Meyers says.

The TRAX extension to Lehi would connect the area called Silicon Slopes to Salt Lake County. The new TRAX connection would also accommodate new companies in the area.