DRAPER, Utah -- It's called Frontlines 2015, but the latest project from the Utah Transit Authority is done two years early and $300 million under budget.
That was the headline from the grand opening of the newest spur of TRAX along the Wasatch Front.
The Draper line is an extension of the north/south line bisecting the Salt Lake Valley from its origin at the downtown transit hub in Salt Lake City.
The Frontlines 2015 project is actually a series of five projects including the TRAX lines to West Valley City, South Jordan and the Airport along with the Frontrunner line to Provo.
At the grand-opening, several heavy hitters from Utah and Washington politics, including the Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, and Governor Gary Herbert and Senator Orrin Hatch.
"It means better access to jobs for hard-working families. It means that the air's cleaner and clearer," said Foxx, whose agency chipped in about 60 percent of the budget.
The Draper line cost $143 million to build, $50 million less than the projected $193 million planned initially.
Still, the investment has to pay off in cleaner air, less traffic and economic development because it would take nearly 35 years for the line to take in $143 million if current ticket rates and expected ridership remained static.
