Hundreds of projects designed to improve access to public transportation are coming to the Wasatch Front. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the region a $20 million grant that will be used, along with matching funds, to build projects like new sidewalks, bike lanes, ADA ramps and bike and pedestrian bridges, as well as expand bike sharing programs, to allow people to more easily reach transit.

UTA and more than 30 cities and counties, non-profit groups and state and local organizations worked closely together to secure the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant funding.

"This is great news for the people UTA serves. UTA and its partners are working to make it easier and safer for people to move throughout the region,” said UTA Interim President and CEO Jerry Benson. “TIGER grants are very competitive and this award validates how we do things in Utah—with collaboration and sound planning.”

The TIGER funding will be used for hundreds of projects throughout the Wasatch Front designed to make it safer and easier to walk and bike to transit. The projects are also designed to improve air quality by making it easier for residents to leave their cars at home as they travel to and from public transportation. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recognizes projects like these as providing what he terms “Ladders of Opportunity” for those who live in neighborhoods that have not always had good access to transportation.

UTA is working with project stakeholders to help finalize the project list. Details on specific projects will be released this fall, and construction on some could begin as early as late 2016.

UTA has allocated approximately $3.5 million in already-budgeted dollars to the project, and other partners have also contributed to the effort. The projects funded by this grant will benefit residents of Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah and Summit counties and more than two dozen cities in the greater Salt Lake region.

“Ultimately, this is about our quality of life,” said Andrew Gruber, Executive Director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC). “When people have more choices for how to get around, it facilitates better health outcomes, reduces household transportation costs, improves the air we all breathe, and supports a vibrant economy.” 

Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Executive Director Carlos Braceras said the project helps create transportation that serves all Utahns.

"UDOT is deeply committed to the creation of a state-wide transportation system that safely and efficiently serves all users," Braceras said. "That's why we collaborated with UTA in its application for this grant, and that's why we are delighted with the success of the application. We believe this project will provide meaningful access to Utah's transit system and greatly improve air quality, safety and transit access for citizens throughout the Wasatch Front."

Partners in this effort include UDOT; the Mountainland Association of Governments; WFRC; Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah and Summit counties and 26 cities. Additional support came from non-profits, advocacy groups and state and local government organizations like Bike Utah, the Jordan River Commission, PRATT, Weber Pathways, Utahns for Better Transportation, UCAIR, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, State of Utah Resource Coordinator, Utah Clean Cities, Weber, Davis and WFRC Active Transportation Committees, Utah Department of Health, Weber-Morgan Health Department, Utah Transit Riders Union, and GREENbike.