This page is a summary of the Wasatch Front Central Corridor Study conducted from summer 2015 to early 2017. You may download a printable PDF of the summary below and more detailed study reports in the Technical Reports section.
Utah’s population is anticipated to nearly double between 2010 and 2050. That means nearly twice as many demands on our roads and transit lines. More people means more goods and services to be delivered, more employees commuting to work, and more errands to run.
While travel demands continue to grow, there is less room to widen roads or add new transportation infrastructure. This challenge of considerable growth with limited space is most concentrated along the I-15/FrontRunner corridor from southern Davis County to northern Utah County.
Counties Included: Box Elder, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, Weber
Source: Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, The University of Utah; Utah’s Long-Term Demographic and Economic Projections Summary; Research Brief, July 2017
To prepare for such a rapidly changing transportation future, Utah’s four largest transportation agencies came together to conduct the Wasatch Front Central Corridor Study. These agencies include the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC). Their goal was to develop a more integrated range of solutions along the I-15/FrontRunner corridor that could serve Utahns through 2050.
The Wasatch Front Central Corridor Study was funded by a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant and matching funds from UDOT, UTA, WFRC, and MAG.
The Final Report Summary is based upon work supported by the FHWA under Grant Agreement P-16. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this summary are those of the Authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the FHWA.
Substantial population growth combined with limited space, rapidly developing technology, and changing demographics require us to think differently about how we plan for the future.
Because homes and office buildings are so close to I-15, widening roads alone, without adding to other modes of transportation like transit and bike trails, is not a feasible approach to prepare for the Wasatch Front’s growing travel demands. In fact, a roads-only approach would require about 70 percent more miles of travel lanes by 2050 to match the miles of travel lanes per person that Utahns are accustomed to today.
The study team developed three scenarios with solutions to address future travel needs along the I-15/FrontRunner corridor. These scenarios are alike because they integrate I-15, surface streets, transit, active transportation, and transportation-related programs; they differ in their placement along the spectrum below that ranges from building more infrastructure to better managing existing infrastructure.
Given the physical constraints of existing office buildings and homes, the geographic location between the mountains and a lake, and the costs required to build more infrastructure, the study team explored ways to maximize the existing infrastructure while keeping people, goods, and services moving.
The study team worked to find solutions along the I-15/FrontRunner corridor that met broad, desirable goals to connect people to jobs, education, and other interests, balance a variety of transportation choices, manage congestion, and preserve Utah’s exemplary quality of life in a rapidly changing travel environment.
To prepare for a more populated and multi-modal transportation system, planners used more comprehensive measures of success like access to jobs and reliability of travel times. These measures reflect the performance of an entire transportation system: roads, transit, pedestrian, and bike.
Based on the performance of potential solutions relative to the I-15/FrontRunner corridor’s goals, a Hybrid Mobility Scenario was developed. The Hybrid Mobility Scenario includes solutions from the three refined scenarios that remained after additional screening and analysis. These solutions, which combine better managing the existing roadway network and building more transit, are still exploratory and will be considered in regional transportation plans for further discussion and vetting among state and local leaders and the public.
Solutions from the study will be considered in the WFRC and MAG 2019-2050 Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs) and ultimately Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan. WFRC and MAG develop the RTPs jointly with local government officials, UDOT, and UTA.
The public will have opportunities to provide input during the RTP planning processes.
