Draper folks protest proposed TRAX line

By Amelia Nielson-Stowell
Deseret Morning News

      DRAPER — Armed with a petition, residents of this south Salt Lake Valley city had a message for Draper and Utah Transit Authority officials: We don't want TRAX as a neighbor.

Deseret Morning News graphic

      More than 200 people crowded the council chambers and overflowed into the halls Tuesday night, most to speak out against a proposed light-rail line on the old Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
That line cuts through neighborhoods, would disturb the Porter Rockwell trail and could decrease property values. On top of that, there are safety, noise, pollution, ground vibrations, traffic, lights, environmental impacts — issues that have yet to be studied, residents said.
      "We don't think light rail coming through this Draper neighborhood makes any sense," said Summer Pugh, a Draper resident who headed up the petition against the route.
      In three days, Pugh garnered almost 800 signatures.
      "We're looking at trains running through our neighborhoods every 15 minutes," she said.
      That right-of-way was purchased by UTA in 1993, with the intention that light rail eventually would be built on the tracks, said G.J. LaBonty, project manager with UTA.
      A yearlong study by a panel of UTA, Draper and Wasatch Front Regional Council officials found that the best alternative for a TRAX line to the south end of Salt Lake County would be on the hard-rail tracks that hook past City Hall, 1300 East, along Highland Drive and end at South Mountain. The alternative alignment is a near-straight route on State Street, along the I-15 freeway.
      "One of the factors in this is cost. It's about 15 percent more to build the light rail down State Street than our own existing right-of-way," LaBonty said. "If a light rail investment is made in a community, the community benefits as a whole."
      But residents doubt a rail in their back yards will benefit the community, known for its historic green pastures and newer homes. Mass transit along State Street, however, will benefit existing businesses and be an easier connection for South Jordan, Riverton and Bluffdale residents, they said.

      "If you approve it, this council's legacy will not be that you brought TRAX to Draper, but that you brought TRAX into the neighborhoods," resident Steve Decho said.
      The project, however, is still far off. At its earliest, the $250 million development could start in 2015. But money for the line is still pending on next month's vote for an increase in sales tax. And what projects in Salt Lake County will get that money is also unclear, whether it be new TRAX lines, commuter rail extensions or roads.
      It isn't likely all the transit projects will be paid for through the sales tax initiative, however, and as a result the Draper line could be postponed.
      The City Council heard from residents at the public hearing for nearly two hours Tuesday. They voted to discuss and possibly vote on the issue again on Nov. 14, after the Nov. 7 elections.