Brigham City moves forward on transit project

By Amy Bodily

February 11, 2008 | BRIGHAM CITY -- While commuter rail is quickly heading north, Brigham City is eagerly taking necessary action in preparation for UTA's arrival into the county.

Last year, the city imposed a sales tax of one quarter of 1 percent to help fund right of way acquisition and corridor preservation. This week, the city signed an interlocal agreement with UTA and Perry City to allow UTA to pool this tax revenue with other entities involved in the project.

According to Economic Development Director Paul Larsen, this agreement will allow UTA to access better financing options by obtaining a single bond to finance the project, rather than individual bonds for each participating city.

This funding, in addition to federal funds and local match dollars in the form of improvements made, is part of a plan to bring commuter rail to Brigham City by 2015. The first segment, which brings the line as far north as 2700 North in Pleasant View, is expected to be running in April.

When the FrontRunner Project is complete, it will be possible to travel from Brigham City to Payson via commuter rail. UTA says the fare to travel to Salt Lake City will be $5.50.

NW
MS