Bringing the speed and efficiency of bus rapid transit to Murray, Taylorsville, and West Valley
The Midvalley Connector Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) has been issued by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA).
About this project
The Federal Transit Administration and the Utah Transit Authority – in partnership with Taylorsville, Murray, West Valley City, UDOT, WFRC, SLCC, and Salt Lake County – is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) and design for a new bus rapid transit (BRT) facility from Murray Central Station to the SLCC Redwood Campus in Taylorsville and West Valley Central Station.
BRT, or bus rapid transit, is an enhanced bus service that is faster than regular bus services. Features include:
- Faster, more frequent service (5- to 15-minute frequency)
- Exclusive, bus-only lanes for faster travel and to prevent delay from mixed traffic congestion
- Full-service stations with adequate shelters and seating
- Off-board fare collection at the station
- Transit signal priority at intersections to reduce delays caused to buses by turning vehicles
BRT is relatively new to Utah; Utah Valley Express (UVX) is an active BRT line in Utah County. Take a look at the most recent BRT line coming to Weber County,Ogden/WSU BRT:
The Midvalley Connector BRT will connect Murray Central Station to the SLCC Redwood Campus and West Valley Central Station. In 2013, a preliminary locally preferred alternative (LPA) was identified, which connected Murray Central to the SLCC Redwood Campus. In 2019, an environmental study report was prepared, extending that LPA from SLCC Redwood to West Valley Central Station and refining its design.
In mid-2020, the project team decided to pursue federal funding for the Midvalley Connector Project and has begun the federal environmental review process. The state environmental document is being updated to an Environmental Assessment (EA) to comply with the National Environmnetal Policy Act (NEPA), a federal environmental review process.
The approximately 7-mile BRT route will include:
- Center-running, exclusive BRT lanes with center stations along 4500/4700 South
- Transit signal priority for BRT buses at most intersections
- Up to 15 new stations with enhanced, real-time transit (next bus) information and off-board fare collection
- Connections to regional TRAX and FrontRunner transit service at both the Murray Central Station and the West Valley Central Station
