Across the country, cities are rethinking how transportation infrastructure shapes communities. For decades, development patterns separated housing, education and employment centers in ways that prioritized automobiles. Today, a growing number of regions are embracing transit-oriented development (TOD) — the idea that communities thrive near accessible and reliable transit.
As growth in our region continues to accelerate, space is at an increasing premium. Public transit uses that space to move people. When housing and employment centers develop near transit, the system becomes more effective. More people near transit justifies more frequent service which in turn makes transit more attractive. It becomes a virtuous cycle.
This spring, the Utah Transit Authority launched the Midvalley Express (MVX), a seven-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line connecting the central Salt Lake Valley. MVX is a practical example of thoughtful investment helping communities grow in more sustainable ways.
The Midvalley Express is a BRT line designed to combine the efficiency and capacity of light rail with the flexibility and affordability of buses. MVX connects destinations in Murray, Taylorsville, and West Valley.
MVX will provide direct service from Murray Central Station — which serves multiple bus routes, FrontRunner and two lines of the TRAX network — to West Valley Central Station, connecting riders to the TRAX Green Line and additional bus routes throughout the region. Along the way, the line will run through the campus of Salt Lake Community College, becoming part of daily life for thousands of students, faculty and staff. With 15-minute frequency, riders will be able to rely on the new route without planning their day around a bus schedule. With frequent, reliable options, transit can become the go-to travel choice for work, errands and school.
Access defines successful TOD. When transit links educational institutions, housing, employment centers and commercial districts, it expands opportunity.
The Midvalley Express was intentionally designed with this goal in mind. For students at Salt Lake Community College, MVX connects campus to housing and job centers. For commuters, the line bridges major rail corridors, allowing riders to move seamlessly between bus rapid transit, light rail and commuter rail. These stations also serve local bus routes that provide neighborhood connections. These connections transform transit stations into community anchors.
MVX also demonstrates how considering both current needs and future growth leads to more effective transit planning. The new route will immediately improve connectivity in the central Salt Lake Valley. Simultaneously, transit service increases the development potential of surrounding areas. In the years ahead, improved access to transit will attract new housing, investment and growth.
As growth continues, UTA’s TRAX light rail remains a vital part of community connections. As a high-capacity form of transit, expanding TRAX in high-demand corridors has a very low cost per passenger. For developing corridors, BRT offers another option with its own important advantages. Across the industry, a typical BRT system costs roughly 20% of what a fixed-rail system requires. Operational costs are also significantly lower. MVX is an example of how BRT can be utilized to serve developing communities, while also being a first step to determine if an area can support future light rail service.
Transit-oriented development is also closely connected to environmental outcomes. Anyone who lives along the Wasatch Front knows how quickly air quality can deteriorate during winter inversions.
MVX will operate with 10 zero-emission electric buses. Every rider who chooses transit instead of driving also removes another vehicle’s emissions from the valley’s air. Combined with walkable development near transit stations, systems like MVX can help communities grow while protecting the environment.
Transit-oriented development works best when transit agencies and local communities collaborate. The Midvalley Express corridor includes planned housing and commercial spaces near transit stops. With thoughtful planning, these neighborhoods will grow in more sustainable ways.
The launch of the Midvalley Express demonstrates how modern transit investments can connect communities, support economic opportunities, improve air quality and guide development toward a more sustainable future.
For the Utah Transit Authority, projects like MVX are about more than moving people from point A to point B. They are about building communities where mobility, opportunity and quality of life move forward together.