BOUNTIFUL -- Public opposition to the south Davis transit corridor has prompted Utah Transit Authority to take a different course on the project.
UTA is currently conducting the South Davis Transit Corridor Study, which aims to determine transit needs in the area between now and the year 2030.
The study evaluates alternatives that will improve mobility for residents working between downtown Salt Lake City and Farmington.
The agency prepared a draft Environmental Study Report that identified a locally preferred alternative in the corridor as a streetcar system that begins at 200 South in Salt Lake City and runs north to Parrish Lane in Centerville, then changes to enhanced bus service until the route stops in Farmington.
The streetcar route would run along Highway 89, State Route 106 and Main Street.
UTA accepted comments on the study until March 31; but after some 2,000 public comments were submitted, the agency is reconsidering the preferred alternative.
"Due to the nature and the quantity of these comments, we will do things a little differently," said UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter. "There was a lot of opposition."
Carpenter said UTA will now publish a summary of the comments, which will be available on UTA's website, then draft a formal response to the comments, and then move on to a re-evaluation of the alternatives.
In early April, the Davis County Community Coalition held public protests in Bountiful, voicing concerns about a streetcar system on Main Street.
Cecilee Price-Huish, who heads the coalition, said a light rail system on Main Street in Bountiful would damage the street's character and essentially eliminate parking and create safety issues for children and the elderly.
Also, construction would have a negative effect on local businesses, she said.
According to UTA, the study area for the project had approximately 175,000 residents in 1990. The study area is expected to have approximately 250,000 residents by 2030.
Funding is not yet in place and could come from a combination of federal grants, local sales tax dollars or partnerships between UTA and individual cities.
"It could take years to find a clear path for funding this," Carpenter said. "So it remains to be seen which alignments will move forward on this. We're far from finished with this process."
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