Alternative route chosen / Some say their opinion on corridor is being ignored

OGDEN — A preferred alternative has been selected for the Weber State Transit Corridor project in Ogden, but a public consensus is nowhere to be found.

The project, a partnership with the Utah Transit Authority, the city of Ogden, Weber County, Weber State University, McKay-Dee Hospital, the Utah Department of Transportation, the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the Federal Transportation Administration, is looking at ways to improve transit service in a five-mile corridor between downtown Ogden and Weber State University and McKay-Dee Hospital.

UTA asserts the area is one of the busiest bus transit corridors in the Wasatch Front, but the area’s high levels of traffic make transit trips slower and less reliable.

After analyzing project designs, travel lanes, travel demand, traffic patterns and impacts, the project’s consultant, Wilbur Smith Associates, has recommended streetcar as the proposed mode for the project, with an alignment that runs from the Ogden Intermodal Hub down Washington Boulevard to 36th Street, then up 36th Street to Harrison Boulevard, to Weber State and McKay-Dee.

Among project stakeholders and interested public, the streetcar option is generally accepted as the way to go. The route the streetcar will take, however, is a different story entirely.

During a meeting at the Weber County Commission Chambers on Thursday afternoon, several project stakeholders and public citizens expressed concerns about the 36th Street route.

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey said the way the current route is configured, it would take 26 to 27 minutes to get to McKay-Dee, which he says is too long.

“We’re not getting what we were seeking when we started this project,” he said.

A group of Ogden residents who want to see the streetcar go from the Intermodal Hub up 25th Street, feel public opinion has largely been ignored during the process.

“We need to slow this process down and think about what we really want to accomplish,” said Mitch Moyes, an Ogden resident and proponent of a route through 25th Street. “This is a decision that will affect this region for decades. If we do it right, we can be an example to the rest of the nation.”

There is also some debate whether the streetcar should stop in front of Weber State on Harrison, or meander through the university, making stops on campus and at the Dee Event Center. Making stops through Weber State would make a trip to McKay-Dee Hospital take longer. Weber State officials want multiple stops; McKay-Dee prefers that people be able to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said the decision on the route is not final and the agency will work to hear all sides of the issue.

“This recommended alternative doesn’t preclude other alternatives,” Carpenter said. “We want to explore everything.”

Godfrey suggested a workshop type of meeting be scheduled where all sides can sit down together to exchange ideas. The meeting has not been formally scheduled yet, but will take place soon.

“I don’t sense it’s impossible for this group to come together,” said UTA deputy planning director Mick Crandall. “But we do seem to have some work to do.”
For more information about the project, call Tauni Everett, (801) 287-2061, or email at teverett@rideuta.com.