The Midvalley Express (MVX}, originally known as the Taylorsville-Murray BRT and later as Midvalley Connector) is an under construction bus rapid transit (BRT) line anticipated to run between Murray and West Valley City (passing through Taylorsville) in Utah, United States, that will be operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA).[1]: 1–2 It will connect the main campus of Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) in Taylorsville with both the TRAX light rail system and the FrontRunner commuter rail. It is the fourth (third currently operating) of several BRT lines that UTA is planning along the Wasatch Front. Bus Rapid Transit is described by UTA as "light rail on rubber tires".[2]
| Midvalley Express | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Under Construction |
| Owner | Utah Transit Authority (UTA) |
| Locale | Murray, Taylorsviille, & West Valley City, Utah, U.S. |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 15 |
| Service | |
| Type | Bus rapid transit (BRT) |
| Route number | 50X |
| Operator(s) | UTA |
| Daily ridership | 2,200 (anticipated) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 7 mi (11 km) |
| Operating speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) max. |
Description
editMVX will connect Murray Central station with the West Valley Central station, connecting with the Intermountain Medical Center, Sorensen Research Park, Salt Lake Community College Taylorsville Redwood Campus, and the Calvin Rampton Complex (which houses the Utah Department of Transportation, the Utah Department of Public Safety Driver License Division, and the Department of Technology Services) along the way. About a fifth of the approximately 7-mile (11 km) route will be in dedicated lanes along 4500/4700 South (Taylorsville Expressway/Utah State Route 266) with the other four-fifths running along various city streets. There are fifteen planned stops for the line. It began construction in the Spring of 2024, with construction anticipated to conclude during Fall 2026.[3]
Route
edit
UTA has assigned MVX the route number 50X.
Murray
editMVX will begin its route at Murray Central Station, with its connections to the Red and Blue TRAX lines and FrontRunner (at the adjacent Murray station), in an expanded bus bay. It will exit at the intersection of Cottonwood Street and 100 West, turning north onto Cottonwood Street. It will continue by turning west onto Vine Street. After crossing over the railroad tracks, it will reach the Vine Street stop on the western side of the intersection with Commerce Drive. From there it will cross over Interstate 15 and turn north onto Murray Boulevard, and reach the next stop at approximately 5030 South on Murray Boulevard. After continuing north, it will use 4800 South/Murray Taylorsville Road to turn east and cross the Jordan River and the Jordan River Parkway Trail.
Taylorsville
editUpon crossing the Jordan River, tMVX will leave Murray and enter Taylorsville. It will immediately turn north onto Sunstone Road, following the road to the northeast and reaching a stop halfway down the road. At the end of Sunstone Road, it will turn north onto Atherton Drive, which is also the road where the next stop is located, at approximately 4595 South (outside Monte Vista). Upon reaching the end of Atherton Drive, it will turn west onto 4500/4700 South and enter the dedicated guideways, in addition to immediately reaching its next stop, the first of three located in the median of the road.
It will continue down 4500/4700 South in dedicated lanes until reaching Redwood Road (SR 68), stopping at more stops in the median along the way, with one at the west intersection of Atherton Drive, and the other at approximately 1300 West (outside of the Fore Lakes Golf Course). It will continue by turning north onto Redwood Road (exiting the dedicated lanes) then east onto Community Boulevard to reach a new transit hub in the south east corner of the Salt Lake Community College Campus. From there it will leave SLCC the way it came in in order to continue west on 4700 South. The route will have one more stop in Taylorsville, on 4700 South at 2200 West.
West Valley City
editMVX will leave Taylorsville and enter West Valley by crossing under Interstate 215 and turning north onto 2700 West. The route will continue north on 2700 West, with 4 stops at approximately 4700 S (near the Calvin Rampton Complex), 4400 S (near the state complex and the American Express offices), 4100 South, and 3800 South. The route will reach its end by turning east onto 3650 South and entering West Valley Central Station, with its connection to the Green TRAX line.
The route from West Valley to Murray is the same with the one exception that the eastbound stop at the east intersection of 4500/4700 South and Atherton Drive is on the side, rather than the median.
Stops
editA total of fifteen stops are planned for the Midvalley Express.
| Midvalley Express (Murray – Taylorsville) | ||||||
| Station/Stop Name[1]: 2–3 |
City | Eastbound Station/Stop |
Westbound Station/Stop |
UTA Bus Connections [Note 1] |
Park and Ride Lot |
Notes & Other Connections |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern end of the line | ||||||
| Murray Central station | Murray | 5144 Cottonwood Street | 45, 47, 54, 200, 201 |
Yes | 701 TRAX Blue Line 703 TRAX Red Line Station serves the Intermountain Medical Center Murray Central station is adjacent to the Murray station, which is served by 750 FrontRunner | |
| Vine Street† | 310 West Vine Street | 54, 47 | No | |||
| Murray Boulevard | 5030 South Murray Boulevard | 47 | ||||
| Sunstone | Taylorsville | 4640 Sunstone Road | ||||
| Monte Vista | 4595 South Atherton Drive | 47* | ||||
| East Atherton | 800 West 4480 South | 47* | Westbound stop is in the center of the road, while the eastbound stop is on south side | |||
| West Atherton | 1100 West 4540 South | 47* | ||||
| Fore Lakes | 1300 West 4700 South | 47* | ||||
| SLCC Transit Hub‡ | 39*, 47*, 212* | |||||
| 2200 West‡ | 2200 West 4700 South | 47* | Stop is at the SLCC Transit Hub | |||
| 4700 South 2700 West | West Valley City | 47*, 227* | ||||
| State Complex | 4400 South 2700 West | 47*, 227* | ||||
| 4100 South | 2700 West 4100 South | 227* | ||||
| 3800 South | 2700 West 3800 South | 39*, 227* | ||||
| West Valley Central station | 2750 West 3590 South | 35, 39, 41, 227, F232, 240, 248, 509, 513 |
Yes | 704 TRAX Green Line | ||
| Western end of the line | ||||||
| *Indicates bus connections which do not connect directly at stop, but are easily accessible †Vine Street station dependent on Murray City and UTA determining funding and timing of construction | ||||||
See also
edit
Notes
edit- ^ Bus connection routes are current as of Change Day, 13 April 2014
References
edit- ^ a b Midvalley Connector Environmental Assement (PDF). secureservercdn.net (Report). Utah Transit Authority. June 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Bus Rapid Transit" (PDF). rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "Midvalley Express". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. March 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ "UTA Five-Year Service Plan 2025-2029 draft". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. June 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
External links
edit