Transmittal - 8/23/2022
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL
______________________________ Date Received:
Lisa Shaffer, Chief Administrative Officer
Date Sent to Council:
TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: August__, 2022
Dan Dugan, Chair
FROM: Bill Wyatt, Executive Director, Department of Airports
SUBJECT: Salt Lake City Department of Airports (“SLCDA”) and Utah Transit Authority
(“UTA”) Airport Employee Transit Options Consultation
STAFF CONTACTS: Brady Fredrickson, Director of Airport Planning and Capital Programming
DOCUMENT TYPE: Briefing regarding Airport fund FY23 budget contingency; Resolution.
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt resolution.
BUDGET IMPACT: No impact; Release of previously appropriated funds.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
I. BACKGROUND
As part of City Council’s adoption of the FY23 budget, Council requested that, prior to SLCDA’s
capital expenditure related to parking lots, SLCDA consult with UTA regarding the potential to
expand transit opportunities for City employees, including considerations related to protecting air
quality and encouraging mass transit in collaboration with UTA and other public private partnerships.
Transit opportunities at the SLC International Airport (“Airport”) present complex opportunities
and challenges. The Airport is located five miles from downtown Salt Lake City and covers 8,000
acres. With 20,000 to 30,000 passengers arriving daily, the Airport is a nonstop hub of activity. Over
15,000 people are employed at the Airport, including City employees and as well as airline,
concession, maintenance, and construction employees. Often job opportunities at the Airport may
be an individual’s first job in the United States and Airport employees are some of the most diverse
in Salt Lake City, representing over 130 different countries. Approximately 1,500 Airport employees
live in close proximity to the Airport (Rose Park and West Valley), however, the public transit
network does not currently provide adequate service in comparison to vehicular options.
23
8/23/2022
8/23/2022
Lisa Shaffer (Aug 23, 2022 16:15 MDT)
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
In February of 2021, UTA adopted a Five-Year Service Plan to help guide service based on the best
information available. To help UTA with its service planning, SLCDA gathered the following
information regarding the mobility needs at the Airport:
A. Employment Locations at the Airport
Employees arrive at four primary locations at the Airport: Terminal; South Cargo; General Aviation;
and North Support/Cargo.1
1. Terminal Area:
There are over 5,000 badged employees who work in the Airport terminal. Employees travel from
scattered areas in the region. The following charts shows zip codes where the number of employees
is greater than 60:
1 Many employees also arrive at the Terminal/Construction site, but these employees are largely non-badged and reliable
information regarding the starting point of their commute is not available at this time. Also, all numbers are approximate
and fluctuate from time-to time as employees are hired or depart.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Terminal Employee Counts per Zip Code
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
2. North Support/Cargo Area:
There are 900 badged employees who work in the northern area of the Airport (1200 North/4000
West).2 The following charts shows zip codes where the number of “badged” employees is greater
than 20:
3. General Aviation/Utah Air National Guard (UANG) Area:
There are 655 badged employees who work on the general aviation side of the Airport, plus an
additional 1,400 employees who work at the UANG. There are currently no operating bus routes in
this area, and the westside on-demand service does not cover all of the general aviation and Utah Air
National Guard tenants.
4. South Cargo Area:
There are 350 badged employees who work in the south cargo area of the Airport (200 North to 510
North and 3700 West). With the proximity of this area to the terminal, an additional stop for TRAX
2 An additional 800 non-badged employees work for Delta Reservations, although they are not included in the numbers
for the same reason as the construction employees.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
North Area Employee Counts per Zip Code
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
doesn’t make sense. Planning for future bus stop or an autonomous vehicle along 3700 West may be
possible in the future, especially after 3700 West is no longer utilized as a construction haul route.
B. Employee Schedules
Most Airport employee morning shifts begin at 4:00 am (before the first flight) and evening shifts
end at 1:00 am (after the last flight). Due to track line sharing agreement obligations, the Green Line
service is unable to be expanded to early morning or late evening hours.
The following is a listing of the general operating work schedules at the airport per location:
1. Terminal Area:
• 5,500 Employees
• Start Time 4:00 am – End Time: 1:00 am
2. Northern Operations/Cargo Area:
• 1,700 Employees
• Start Time 4:00 am – End Time: 1:00 am
3. General Aviation Area:
• 2,000 Employees
• Start Time 6:00 am – End Time: 10:00 pm
4. Southern Operations/Cargo Area:
• 400 Employees
• Start Time 6:00 am – End Time: 10:00 pm
II. CITY COORDINATION WITH UTA
Salt Lake City Transportation Division staff coordinate with UTA in a variety of ways that may offer
opportunities for enhanced Airport coordination. For instance, Transportation staff meets weekly
with UTA executive/management staff and UTA attends relevant Engineering design review
meetings. SLCDA and the Transportation Division participate in the SLC Transportation Master
Plan and UTA’s Long Range Transit Plan development.
A. UTA and SLCDA Coordination
UTA and SLCDA have been in close coordination since the inception of the Airport TRAX line.
Below is a list of public transit coordination highlights at the Airport:
• March 2022 – UTA outreach to concessions Airport employees regarding Vanpool
opportunities
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
• December 2021 – Sunday night service was extended to 11:37 PM
• November – February 2021 – Trips to Train – Free boarding with airline tickets
• November 2021 – New TRAX Station constructed at the New SLC Airport and opened
shortly after New SLC Airport opened
• September 2021 – Provided UTA with survey information from tenants, detailing
numbers of tenant employees, work schedules and origin and destination
• October 2017 – Airport sponsored Climate Week – offering free transit passes to
tenants – 470 recorded trips
• April 2016 – Delta-sponsored Safety, Health and Wellness Fair – UTA Outreach to
tenants
• October 2015 – Airport-sponsored Climate Week – offering free transit passes to
tenants – 654 recorded trips
• April 2015 – Airport-sponsored Sustainability/Health and Wellness Fair – UTA
Outreach to tenants
• October 2013 – UTA conducted outreach to Airport concessions employees regarding
TRAX opportunities
• April 2013 - Airport TRAX Line opened. Since 2013, the Airport TRAX Station has
seen a 7% average increase in ridership per year, with approximately 2,000 riders arriving
and departing each day.3
B. FY23 City Transportation Initiatives
Several City transportation initiatives have been in development and were funded in the FY23
budget. These initiatives were in coordination with UTA’s planned investments, as articulated in
UTA’s 5-year plan and supported by the Salt Lake City Transit Master Plan. Several of these
initiatives may increase transit opportunities, and address or create additional potential challenges, at
the Airport:
• Route 1 will begin operating in August 2022, connecting 450 S. Orange Street with the
University of Utah via Redwood, 1000 N. and South Temple.
o The effect of this service change will be greater span and frequency, as well as
increased direct service between the east and west sides of the City, however, at the
expense of expansive geographic coverage into low-density employment areas such
as the Airport.
o Westside UTA On-Demand provides equivalent coverage to routes that are being
discontinued in Rose Park, Ballpark, Poplar Grove, and Glendale.
3 Data collected pre-COVID.
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
This service resulted in bus route 519, service to Fairpark, and bus route 520,
service to Rose Park being discontinued.
• UTA Westside On-Demand currently provides corner-to-corner service for trips within
the City’s residential west side and to transit stops and stations. It was launched in
December 2021 and funding was continued in the FY23 budget.
o The service provider can forecast/model ridership potential and approximate costs.
o This may be helpful particularly during low-usage and off-schedule (midnight to 4
am) times, where there is an opportunity to maximize an existing City resource.
• The Westside Mobility Hub, to be located along the North Temple Corridor somewhere
between Fairpark and Redwood Road, is currently under study and has already secured
partial funding through UTA and City sources/grants.
o This facility will provide multimodal connections between micromobility, on-
demand services, TRAX, and several bus routes.
o While not immediate, this near-term facility (2-5 years) will provide a potential pick-
up/drop-off location for shuttle and/or on-demand services and offers the potential
for shared parking/park-and-ride opportunities.
o The future 5600 West bus that will operate 24/7 will utilize this facility and makes a
connection to the Airport.
III. FUTURE CITY COORDINATION WITH UTA
The City and UTA have developed a strong and collaborative working relationship to solve
transportation issues and encourage mass transit, which will ultimately be an essential key for
improving air quality in the Salt Lake Valley. The City and UTA entered into an interlocal agreement
in 2018 where the City funds expansion of certain routes to meet the City’s transportation priorities
(the “Interlocal Agreement”). Council could prioritize routes that would meet the City’s
transportation goals and expand transit opportunities at the Airport through the Interlocal
Agreement. Attached is a memorandum from UTA describing some of the history and recent
coordination between the partners. Below is a summary of longer-term and unfunded transportation
initiatives:
A. UTA’s Future of Light Rail Study
UTA is nearing completion of its Future of Light Rail study, which identifies capital and operational
plans. Salt Lake City Transportation staff is one of many stakeholders involved in the process and
Airport planner(s) can participate in stakeholder meetings or can coordinate with Transportation
staff so that they may be represented in workshops and meetings.
ERIN MENDENHALL
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
P.O. BOX 145474
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 306
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-5474
WWW.SLCMAYOR.COM
TEL 801-535-7704
B. UTA’s Five-Year Service Plan
UTA’s Five-Year Service Plan is a regularly updated plan in which the City has a significant
stakeholder role. If changes to bus service that benefit Airport employees are warranted by ridership
potential and/or sponsored by the City through the Interlocal Agreement, they could be included in
this plan for future implementation. Evaluations and adjustments are conducted on a two-year cycle,
with a new published plan every five years. Airport planner(s) could participate in stakeholder
meetings or could coordinate with Transportation staff so that they may be represented in
workshops and meetings.
C. UTA’s Long-Range Transit Plan
UTA’s Long-Range Transit Plan will launch shortly and provides a more in-depth look at transit for
inclusion in the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s Regional Transportation Plan. The City will be a
stakeholder in this effort, which considers all mass transit modes and the system as a whole. Airport
planner(s) could participate in stakeholder meetings or can coordinate with Transportation staff so
that the unique challenges and opportunities of mass transit at the Airport could be taken into
consideration.
The SLCDA is committed to working in collaboration with UTA and other transit partners to
leverage transit resources and opportunities to address the persistent air quality issues in the Salt
Lake Valley. There are a variety of other benefits to improving transit/multimodal access. Many
businesses in Salt Lake City have experienced high turnover where transit options are limited, and
this likely includes some Airport employers, which increases the costs associated with vacancies,
recruitment, and training. Moreover, multimodal access is an important equity issue, especially to
low- and middle-income workers because transportation is the second largest household expense
and thus has a significant impact on overall household budgets.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit A: Memorandum from Eric Callison, Manager of Service Planning, Utah Transit
Authority, to Salt Lake City Department of Airports, re: Transit Opportunities and
Challenges at the Salt Lake City International Airport (July 18, 2022)
Exhibit B: Resolution
EXHIBIT A
UTA Consultation Memorandum
669 West 200 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 and OSHAS 18001:2007
July 18, 2022
Transit Opportunities and Challenges at Salt Lake International Airport
Background
Since the opening of the Airport station on the TRAX light rail system, The Utah Transit Authority (UTA)
and Salt Lake City Department of Airports (SLCDA) have collaborated on multiple ridership and
awareness initiatives to benefit patrons and employees at Salt Lake International Airport. Both groups
continue to meet to address ongoing challenges and future needs. This memo summarizes opportunities
and challenges associated with improved transit service to the Airport.
History
UTA TRAX service to the Airport began in April 2013 with the opening of the Airport Line, part of the
Green Line of the TRAX light rail system. Service hours were extended on Sundays in August 2015. In
April 2020, frequency of service and hours were reduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, UTA
has gradually restored light rail service to the Airport, restoring 15-minute service on weekdays in
August and December 2020 and restoring Sunday hours of service in December 2021. In November
2021, service began at the newly completed light rail station at the Airport.
During this time UTA and SLCDA have collaborated on a number of events to increase awareness and
ridership on transit, including:
• Sustainability/Health and Wellness Fair, April 2015 (sponsored by SLCDA)
• Climate Week, October 2015 (sponsored by SLCDA)
• Safety, Health, Wellness Fair, April 2015 (sponsored by Delta)
• Climate Week, October 2017 (sponsored by SLCDA)
• Ticket as Fare, November 2021 – February 2022
SLCDA and UTA continue to look for opportunities to increase transit ridership and meet the needs of
Airport patrons, as well as employees of SLCDA, concessionaires, and airlines who work within the
Airport campus.
Planned and Future Transit Improvements
The UTA Five-Year Service Plan outlines multiple improvements to transit service at the Airport and in
the surrounding areas, including:
5600 West Line. New north-south service on 5600 West between the TRAX Red Line and downtown Salt
Lake City, via the Airport and International Center, with connections to east-west transit service
between 9000 South and North Temple
Midvalley Connector. New service between West Valley Central Station and Murray Central Station,
providing improved connections to routes in Murray, Taylorsville, and West Valley City
TRAX Saturday Service. Increased frequency on all TRAX lines on Saturday, from 30-minute to 15-minute
service
669 West 200 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 and OSHAS 18001:2007
Local Service Improvements. Additional local connections from 3600 West, Bangerter Highway, and 3100
South, as well as increased frequency and connections to the Fairpark, Glendale, Poplar Grove, and Rose
Park neighborhoods on the west side of Salt Lake City.
In addition to these improvements, UTA is exploring the possibility of alternative services to provide
coverage, such as Vanpool, UTA On Demand, and partnerships with transportation network companies
such as Lyft and Uber.
Challenges and Ways Forward
Hours of Operation. Per SLCDA the majority of work shifts at the Airport begin at 4:00 AM and end at
1:00 AM. This is outside the current hours of operation for the TRAX system due to logistical and track
sharing constraints.
The Future of Light Rail study currently in progress includes evaluation of scenarios that provide
extended hours or overnight service to the Airport. Each of these alternatives would require new track-
sharing agreements or acquisition of additional right of way to avoid conflicts with freight movements.
Service to the Airport could also be provided by buses outside light rail operating hours. The new
TechLink Corridor study may also inform future changes to the light rail system.
Resource and Staffing Constraints. Covid-19 and the current labor market have created significant delays
in the implementation of the UTA Five-Year Service plan, meaning UTA does not currently have definite
timelines for service improvements associated with the Airport. UTA efforts to meet the labor shortage
include strategies for increased recruitment and early onboarding, as well as deploying alternative
services as described above.
Airport Circulation. UTA does not provide circulation within the Airport beyond the TRAX Station, but is
open to the possibility of doing so, budget and resources permitting.
Summary
UTA and SLCDA have worked together on a variety of initiatives to improve access and increase ridership
since TRAX service to the Airport began in 2013. UTA plans to improve services to the Airport in the next
few years, based on the availability of resources and staffing. Both agencies hope to continue to work
together to overcome the challenges and constraints that exist and implement improved transit services
for passengers and employees.
Eric Callison
Manager of Service Planning
Utah Transit Authority
ecallison@rideuta.com
669 W. 200 S.
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
www.rideuta.com
EXHIBIT B
Resolution
RESOLUTION NO. __ OF 2022
(A Resolution Approving the Release of Budget Contingency for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023
Budget Relating to the Department of Airports)
WHEREAS, on June 14, 2022, the Salt Lake City Council adopted Ordinance No. 32 of
2022, adopting the City budget, excluding the Library Fund, and adopting the employment
staffing document, for fiscal year 2022-2023 (the “Budget Ordinance”); and
WHEREAS, the Budget Ordinance specified a contingency applying to, among other
departments, the Department of Airports (the “Department”); and
WHEREAS, the budget contingency related to the Department’s fiscal year 2022-2023
budget (the “Budget Contingency”) specified that the Department must consult with the Utah
Transit Authority (“UTA”), in writing, regarding potential efforts to increase transit
opportunities for Airport employees to and from the Salt Lake City International Airport
(“Airport”), prior to any capital expenditure related to parking lots; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to work in concert with UTA to improve transit options to
and from Airport, as well as elsewhere in Salt Lake City, to further the City’s efforts to improve
air quality in the Salt Lake Valley; and
WHEREAS, the Department consulted directly with UTA as well as the Salt Lake City
Transportation Division (“Transportation”) regarding existing coordination and the potential to
increase transit opportunities at the Airport, and briefed City Council regarding the historical,
current, and future opportunities for coordination with UTA; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has examined the consultation and determined the Budget
Contingency should be removed; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, as
follows:
1. The City Council has determined the Department has met the Budget
Contingency and hereby declares the Budget Contingency is satisfied.
Passed by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, this _____ day of _________, 2022.
SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL
By: ______________________________
Dan Dugan, Chair, Salt Lake City Council
Attest:
___________________________
City Recorder
Salt Lake City Attorney’s Office
Approved as to Form:
___________________________
Senior City Attorney