New electric bus system coming to Ogden
Dec 9, 2022, 11:40 AM
A mock-up of a bus that will be used for the OGX is pictured. (Utah Department of Transportation)
(Utah Department of Transportation)
OGDEN, Utah — Ogden City and the Utah Transit Authority is making an effort to make Ogden a greener place by creating and encouraging the use of its new all-electric bus system. The new system is set to open next summer and officials say it’ll bring new opportunities to the city.
What the electric bus system will do for Ogden
UTA PR Specialist James Larson said the new all-electric bus system, the Ogden Express or OGX, combines the speed and efficiency of a TRAX system with the capacity of a city bus. The buses will run from the Ogden FrontRunner, through downtown, Weber State University and McKay-Dee Hospital.
The bus system is already in place at Weber State University, where students are encouraged to use emission-free public transit.
Larson said the agency hopes to get more people off the road, encourage emission-free transit and create less congestion downtown.
And the new system will open up new opportunities for residents, according to Larson.
“You’re going to be able to see more multi-level residential, multi-level retail. And so that just opens up all this possibility of the economic development pretty much along the whole entire route.”
And, Larson said, as the zoning of the city changes alongside the OGX, more opportunities are to come.
“Ogden’s got big plans of redeveloping the downtown. Of course, it started with the junction and now they’ve got other areas that they’re going in and adding these new types of communities. And it’s exciting to see this growth in Ogden City.”
Finishing touches
The Ogden Express is on schedule with its final months of construction finishing in 2023.
Larson said that despite the concrete shortage, the construction timeline is still looking good. Ogden residents can expect construction on Harrison to wrap up in the coming months.
“There’s no ideal place to do it or ideal time to do construction. But in the end, this is going to be extremely beneficial to Ogden City, Weber State and McKay Dee Hospital.”
The UTA plans to have the grand opening for OGX on Aug 6, 2023.
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