Commuter Rail Breaks Ground

Salt Lake City— Utah Transit Authority officials broke ground on Tuesday, Aug. 30, for the first phase of a commuter rail line linking Salt Lake City and Ogden — five years after residents of Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties approved a sales tax increase to fund the local share of the

The first phase, estimated to cost $582 million, will extend from Salt Lake City north 44 miles to Pleasant View, just north of Ogden in Weber County, and clearing and grubbing activities along the route are already under way. Heavy construction work should begin next spring, and completion is scheduled for 2008.

Back in February 2004, UTA awarded a $525,000 preconstruction services contract to Commuter Rail Constructors, a joint venture of Stacy & Witbeck Inc. of San Francisco and Herzog Contracting of St. Joseph, Mo., and the joint venture has the inside track for the main construction contract.

UTA sold $175 million in sales tax and revenue bonds at the start of 2005 to fund its share of the project, and Federal Transit Administration approval to start construction was received in July. Still needed is a full-funding grant agreement from the FTA, but that is expected by year-end.