FAST TRAX

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) completed its 15 mi (24 km), 16-station light-rail transit system, called TRAX, 13 months ahead of schedule and more than $20 million under budget. The system was constructed on 2.5 mi (4 km) of city streets and 12.5 mi (20 km) of an existing railroad corridor. The long, linear, north-south orientation of Salt Lake City made the area a prime candidate for rail transit. TRAX was one of the first systems in the country to run light-rail on a line that would be shared by freight trains, which created design challenges. Where light-rail and freight share the alignment, 133 lb/yd (66 kg/m) rail was used and curves were reduced to fall within the safety limits for freight. Freight traffic continued during construction, so the new double-track rail was constructed on half of the right-of-way at a time as the new rail was built beside the old. Reuse of track, ties, and switches found on the existing rail corridor generated considerable savings. To allow archaeologists enough time to address the remains of a Native American village they found, the team changed the construction sequence, working on other sections of the line first. Elsewhere on the line, soil contamination required mitigation. In some areas contaminated material was encapsulated within landscaping berms along the corridor. The biggest environmental problem was at a freight-switching yard, where contaminated material was excavated and placed inside a neoprene barrier in a berm. Several irrigation canals had to be rerouted or redesigned. In June 2000, the UTA began construction on a 2.5 mi (4 km) east-west light-rail extension to connect downtown Salt Lake City with the University of Utah. The UTA used a design/build contract to save time, because it hopes to complete the extension by the end of 2001, in time for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/10480594
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Page Range: pp 48-51, 79
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Allegra, M
  • Warnock, D
  • Whedon, B
• Publication Date: 2000-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: 5 p.
• Serial:
  • Civil Engineering
  • Volume: 70
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0885-7024
  • Serial URL: http://www.pubs.asce.org/ceonline/newce/html

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Archaeology; Construction; Construction scheduling; Costs; Design; Design build; Freight trains; Irrigation canals; Light rail transit; Railroads; Right of way (Land); Soil remediation; Streets; Transportation corridors
• Identifier Terms: Utah Transit Authority
• Geographic Terms: Salt Lake City (Utah); Utah
• Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Finance; Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00800641
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 20 2000 12:00AM