Two Utah Transit Authority officials have pledged their efforts to do what they can to encourage placement of a light-rail stop at or near 200 East and 400 South.
That location is very close to where the proposed new central Salt Lake City Public Library would be built on the northwest corner of the block east of the City-County Building.Voters will have a chance to vote yes or no for a general obligation bond for the library on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Steven W. Greene, engineering projects manager, and Kris McBride, of the UTA public relations office, met recently with the City Library Board, which expressed a desire to have a light-rail station just east of the 200 East and 400 South intersection.
If it is not possible for the station to be situated just east of the intersection, the board said it hopes the station can be situated halfway between 200 East and 300 East along 400 South.
"We believe convenient access to the library is a very important factor for public service, and we would like to see that light rail is well used. The closer to the library, the better," said Library Director Nancy Tessman.
Can UTA accommodate the board's request?
"We will look at it. We are in preliminary engineering. This is one of several meetings that we attend. We are trying to accommodate everyone's needs. Absolutely, if they (the library board and staff) want it (the light-rail station) near 200 East, we are going to do our best to get it there," Greene said.
A number of things, including consideration for adequate space for turn lanes near light-rail tracks, will dictate where the station is placed. The Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City officials and UTA traffic planners will all be involved in a decision, Greene said.