Utah’s Transportation Partners Release Statewide Transportation Plan

October 30, 2023 by Nicole Masson
State

Utah Business, by Press Release, October 18, 2023  https://www.utahbusiness.com/utah-transportation-plan/

Salt Lake City—Today, after four years of close collaboration and planning, transportation partners from across the state released Utah’s updated Unified Transportation Plan, with the primary goal of preserving and enhancing quality of life in Utah even as we grow.

Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan is comprehensive in that it identifies priority statewide transportation needs across all modes of travel from now until 2050. It expands capacity to meet Utah’s growth by planning for new bike and pedestrian paths; increased frequency of transit service and new transit options via bus and rail; and new or upgraded state and local roads. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and metropolitan planning organizations Cache MPO, Dixie MPO, Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), and Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC), all contributed to the creation of the Plan, in collaboration with cities and counties, legislators, business and community organizations, and other stakeholders.

On the heels of a significant boost in support and desire for active transportation options, particularly from the State of Utah, this updated Plan outlines the planning and funding of walking, biking, and other trail projects in more detail than previous plans, a tribute to the state’s commitment to providing a variety of travel choices.

As Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan is implemented, Utahns will experience more ways to get to their destinations. The Plan provides transportation alternatives to improve health, safety, and air quality. It boosts transportation efficiency and better connects Utahns to their jobs and other destinations. By implementing the Plan:

• Utah households will on average experience 5.8 fewer days driving, freeing up time for other activities.
• Utah’s economy will strengthen through increased investment in infrastructure, with each dollar invested multiplying 2.5 times through economic and job growth.
• Utah’s GDP will grow by approximately $247 billion and more than 271,000 jobs will be added.
• Utahn’s will breathe cleaner air, with a projected statewide reduction in emissions of 13%.
• 4,700 active transportation pathway miles will be added in Utah, roughly equal to the distance of riding your bike from Salt Lake City to Boston and back again.

Beyond community and statewide benefits, this edition of the Plan features stories about real Utahns who have benefited from Utah’s transportation system in everyday ways. These stories are threaded into the Plan.

Previous versions of the Plan have been nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a national model for being collaborative, comprehensive, and demonstrating the principle that collaboration brings superior results.

Learn more about the Plan by visiting unifiedplan.org.