Utah Valley Express, also known as UVX, is a
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
(BRT) line in central
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is the second-most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, Utah, Provo, which is the state's third-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As of ...
, United States. The line is operated by the
Utah Transit Authority
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is a special service district responsible for providing public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the United States, which includes the metropolitan areas of Ogden, Park City, Provo, Salt ...
(UTA) and runs between southwest
Orem
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City.
Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah M ...
to south central
Provo by way of
Utah Valley University
Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008.
History ...
(UVU) and
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU). It began service with a soft opening on August 13, 2018 while the station platforms were being finished and was formally opened on January 9, 2019. It is the second of several BRT lines that UTA has or is planning in
Utah County
Utah County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the state's third-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As of the 2020 United States Census, the ...
and the
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...
.
Description
The Utah Valley Express line connects the
Orem ''FrontRunner'' station with UVU, the
University Mall, BYU, downtown Provo, the
Provo ''FrontRunner'' station, the
Provo Towne Centre
Provo Towne Centre is an enclosed shopping mall in Provo, Utah. Opened in 1998, the mall is anchored by JCPenney, a classic cars display, and a Cinemark movie theater. It is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle.
History
When the mall was being built, de ...
mall, the East Bay Business Park and follows a route primarily along University Parkway (
SR-265) and University Avenue (
US-189).
The line includes 17 stops (stations) and runs at 10-15 minute intervals, with 6 minute
headway
Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system measured in space or time. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise defi ...
s during
peak hours
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...
.
UTA had anticipated having the Utah Valley Express operational by the time the Provo and Orem ''FrontRunner'' stations opened in the fall of 2012, but by early July 2016 construction on the line had yet to commence. The
Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...
reported that construction would begin in mid 2016 and that service would begin in 2019.
The initial cost of the Utah Valley Express was estimated to be nearly $160 million.
The Utah Valley Express connects with the ''
FrontRunner
FrontRunner is a commuter rail train operated by the Utah Transit Authority that operates along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt ...
'' at both the Provo and Orem intermodal centers (stations). The ''FrontRunner'' is a
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
service run by UTA that operates along the
Wasatch Front
The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of contiguous cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Provo in the south to Logan in the north ...
with service from Provo, through
Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The coun ...
(including
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
),
Davis County Davis County is or was the name of the following counties in the United States:
*Davis County, Iowa, named in honor of Garrett Davis, a Congressman from Kentucky
*Davis County, Utah, named for Daniel C. Davis, captain in the Mormon Battalion
*Cass ...
,
Weber County, and
Ogden. The ''FrontRunner'' also connects with UTA's
TRAX light rail system in the
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...
as well as
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) ''
California Zephyr
The ''California Zephyr'' is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville), via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. At , it is Amtrak's longest daily route, and second-longest overal ...
'' (which runs daily between
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
and the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
) and
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
inter-city buses.
History
As the initial route was nearing finalization in early 2013, Brigham Young University announced that it was closing a portion of East Campus Drive. Even though none of the (then current) Utah Valley Express route ran along this road (although it had been previously anticipated), the closure of this five lane road would affect traffic on nearby streets, primarily 900 East. Since the traffic projections were based upon the use of East Campus Drive, it became prudent to re-assess the portion of the route in the area of 900 East to ensure that the previously preferred route was still the best option. As part of this discussion many alternatives arose, but the original route kept, with a few modifications. One of the major considerations for keeping the original route was the strong possibility of losing federal funding, as well as substantial financial support from the
Mountainland Association of Governments.
Other changes that were made later in the process included the stop that was initially planned to be located at about 1100 North 900 East. It was first moved slightly north to just north of Birch Lane/Heritage Drive in front of the BYU Creamery. However, this stop was later eliminated altogether in favor of two new stops, one on the southeast edge of BYU campus (on 900 North) and one on the northeast edge of campus (on University Parkway), at the south entrance to the
Missionary Training Center). Additional improvement recommendations were also added along 900 East, including
sidewalk
A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English), footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick ...
s.
In March 2015 the Federal Transit Administration approved the Environmental Assessment submitted by UTA in late 2014 with a "Finding of No Significant Impact."
In April 2016, Provo City and Orem City voted to approve a 50-year lease agreement allowing UTA to construct dedicated lanes and other improvements on local roads owned by Provo and Orem (mainly on 700 North in Provo and near UVU in Orem). However, this decision received significant opposition from some residents.
Service began with a soft opening on August 13, 2018 while the station platforms were being finished and was formally opened on January 9, 2019 with several dignitaries in attendance including BYU President Kevin J. Worthen, Provo mayor Michelle Kaufusi, UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez, Orem mayor Richard Brunst, and mascots Cosmo the Cougar and Willy the Wolverine.
Through 2021 there is no fee to ride on the UVX thanks to a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Name
While the line was being designed and under construction, it was known as the Provo-Orem Bus Rapid Transit or the Provo-Orem MAX. The project was sometimes referred to as the Provo-Orem Transportation Improvement Project (Provo-Orem TRIP), although the BRT line was only a part of the overall Provo-Orem TRIP project to improve transportation in the area.
In the fall of 2017 UTA asked the public for name suggestions for the new line, the Provo-Orem TRIP Executive Committee then selected their top choices from the suggestions. Following a trademark review of the committee's choices, the public was presented, for a vote, with three names: TimpRunner, TimpExpress, or Utah Valley Express. Following the vote, in which 524 persons out of approximately 950 votes selected Utah Valley Express, the UTA Board of Trustees approved the Utah Valley Express name during their March 28, 2018 meeting.
Future
As the need increases and funding becomes available, Phase II improvements will be implemented. In Phase II, the northwest end of the Utah Valley Express will be rerouted directly east from the Orem station along West 800 South (instead of south along Geneva Road) and connect with the UVU campus by way of a new high-occupancy/toll (HOT) interchange overpass. It will then pass by the north and east edges of the UVU campus before reaching University Parkway and continuing along the remainder of its original route. As part of the reroute, the single BRT stop on the south side of the UVU campus (UCU/Sandhill) will be replaced by three new stops along the north and east sides of campus.
The cost of Phase II is anticipated to be about $18 million.
In addition to the Phase II improvements to the line, UTA also plans to eventually augment the Utah Valley Express with additional (BRT) lines within about 7–16 years. One of the lines will run north from the Provo station following along 500 West (
US-89) in Provo; State Street (US-89) through Provo, Orem,
Lindon,
Pleasant Grove; and Main Street (US-89) through
American Fork until it reaches the
American Fork ''FrontRunner'' station. Another MAX line will run south from the Provo station though East Bay Business Park, then east along 1860 South to State Street (US-89), then south through
Springville on Main Street (US-89), then southwest along South State Road (
SR-51) to
Spanish Fork, finally through Spanish Fork (on Expressway Lane, 800 North, Main Street, Center Street) until it reaches the planned ''FrontRunner'' station in Spanish Fork (west of
I-15
I15 may refer to:
* Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America
* Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft
* I15 (band)
"Soulja Girl" is the second single from American rapper Soulja Boy's studio album '' ...
and south of Center Street).
Route
![ProvoOremBrt Concept2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/ProvoOremBrt_Concept2.svg)
The Utah Valley Express is designated as UTA Route 830X. (The following route is description of the "locally preferred route" (LPR) and is still subject to minor changes before finalization.)
South Orem
The Utah Valley Express begins at the Orem Intermodal Center (''FrontRunner'' station), which is located at 900 South 1350 West. After heading west to and then briefly south on Geneva Road (
SR-114), it heads east on University Parkway (SR-265) to cross over I-15 and then turn north on Sandhill Road. At the end of this very short stretch of Sandhill Road it turns east (through the roundabout) and then heads east on College Drive (on the southern edge of the UVU campus) until it reaches the UVU stop on College Drive and/or West 1200 South. From that stop it continues east on West 1200 South until it reaches another roundabout at 400 West. Immediately after turning south on South 400 West and then east again on University Parkway it reaches the Lakeview stop (located in the median of West University Parkway, just east of South 400 West).
From the 400 West stop the Utah Valley Express continues east in dedicated inside lanes and ascends the Provo Bench and crosses South 200 West and South Main Street. Immediately after crossing South Main Street it arrives at the Main Street stop (located in the median of East University Parkway, just east of South Main Street). After that stop it continues east in its dedicated inside lanes, crossing South 200 East and State Street (US-89) before passing by the south side of
University Place and reaching the last stop in Orem (University Place) at about 700 East. The platforms for this stop are also located in the median of East University Parkway. Shortly after that stop, it crosses South 800 East and then heads southeast on East University Parkway to descend the Provo Bench as it leaves Orem and enters Provo.
North Provo
Continuing southeast on North University Parkway in its dedicated inside lanes the Utah Valley Express reaches the 2230 North stop just after crossing 2230 North/550 West in Provo. The platform for this stop is again located in the median of North University Parkway. From that stop it continues southeast on North University Parkway in its dedicated lanes until it passes over the
Provo River
The Provo River is located in Utah County and Wasatch County, Utah, in the United States. It rises in the Uinta Mountains at Wall Lake and flows about southwest to Utah Lake at the city of Provo, Utah.
Course
The two main branches of Provo Rive ...
and then crosses North 200 West (Freedom Boulevard) and North University Avenue (US-189).
Immediately after crossing North University Avenue, the Utah Valley Express continues east on East University Parkway in shared lanes and crosses North Canyon Road (North 150 East) before passing by the northern edge of the BYU campus and the southern side of the
LaVell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, on the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars, an independent in the ...
. Just east of the stadium it arrives at the BYU Stadium stop at about 350 East. The platforms for this stop are located on the sides of East University Parkway, directly north of the Larry H. Miller baseball and softball fields and immediately east of the
signalized intersection with the events parking lot access. Since there are no dedicated lanes along this portion of the route, bus turnouts are included for this stop. From this stop it continues east on East University Parkway. At about 850 East it reaches the next (yet unnamed) stop. This stop has two platforms on both sides of East University Parkway. A new
crosswalk
A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road ...
with a
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traf ...
was constructed that continues straight north across East University Parkway from the existing sidewalk (pedestrian path) that runs along the east side of the Harmon Building. The stops are just west of the crosswalk and the current parking lot access. Since there are still no dedicated lanes along this portion of the route, bus turnouts were also included for the BYU North Campus stop.
After that stop the Utah Valley Express continues in shared traffic lanes to turn south onto North 900 East and pass by the eastern edge of BYU campus. Shortly after crossing Birch Lane/Heritage Drive, it turns west onto East 900 North and quickly reaches the (BYU South Campus) stop on the southeast corner of BYU campus. This will stop is the primary stop for BYU campus and has two platforms (one on each side of East 900 North), rather than a single platform in the median and are located west of East Campus Drive. From that stop it turns south on North 700 East. There are dedicated outside lanes on East 900 North between East Campus Drive and North 900 East, except for the easternmost portion for the northbound buses (heading east at this point) which cross from the outside lane to make a left-hand turn onto North 900 East. Also, regular traffic between East Campus Drive and North 900 East is reduced from two lanes to one lane in each direction.
After briefly continuing south on North 700 East in shared lanes the Utah Valley Express turns west again onto East 700 North. Continuing on, in dedicated lanes once again, it heads east until it crosses North 600 East and North 500 East, passes by far southern edge of BYU campus, reaches the Joaquin stop (located in the median of East 700 North just east of North 400 East). From that stop it continues west again, still in its dedicated inside lanes, and crosses North 400 East, North 300 East, North 200 East, North 100 East, before finally arriving at North University Avenue.
Upon reaching North University Avenue again, the Utah Valley Express turns south on that road and continues on, still in its dedicated inside lanes, to cross 600 North and arrive at the Academy Square stop (located in the median of University Avenue, at about 600 North northwest of the
Provo City Library
The Provo City Library is a public library serving residents of Provo and Orem in the U.S. state of Utah. It occupies the building of the former Brigham Young Academy, which was built in 1892. In 1976, the building was added to the National Reg ...
). From that stop it continues south in its dedicated inside lanes and crosses 500 North, 400 North, 300 North and then arrives at the 300 North stop (located in the median of University Avenue, just south of 300 North). After that stop it enters the main downtown Provo business district and continues south in its dedicated inside lanes and crosses 200 North, 100 North, Center Street.
South Provo
After crossing Center Street the Utah Valley Express immediately arrives at the Center Street stop (located in the median of University Avenue just south of Center Street in front of the
Provo City Center Temple). From that stop it continues south, still in its dedicated inside lanes, crossing 200 South and 300 South (US-89) before reaching the 400 South stop (located in the median of University Avenue, just north of 400 South). After crossing 400 South it continues in shared lanes (beyond the 400 South stop there are no more dedicated lanes for the Utah Valley Express) as it crosses over the 600 South and the
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
and ''
FrontRunner
FrontRunner is a commuter rail train operated by the Utah Transit Authority that operates along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt ...
'' tracks on the South University Avenue Viaduct. Immediately after the viaduct it crosses 780 South and then reaches 920 South and turn west. After briefly heading west on West 920 South, it turns north onto South 100 East. After crossing West 700 South it reaches Provo Central Station (''FrontRunner'' station).
After its stop at the Provo Intermodal Center, the Utah Valley Express heads briefly west on West 700 South until it once again reaches Freedom Boulevard (South 200 West). After turning south on South 200 West it continues in shared lanes as it passes through the West 920 South roundabout, crosses West 1020 South and reaches Towne Centre Boulevard. At Towne Centre Boulevard it turns east and continues very briefly until the road turns south. Continuing south, still in shared lanes, it reaches the Towne Centre Blvd stop as it passes by the east side of the mall closest to the
JC Penney
Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...
. It then continues south on Town Centre Boulevard (at about 100 West) until it reaches Towne Centre Drive (at about 1450 South) and turns east on that road. Continuing east in shared lanes Towne Centre Drive becomes East Bay Boulevard after it crosses South University Avenue.
Continuing east in a shared lane on East East Bay Boulevard it crosses South 40 East before reaching the East Bay North stop (located just east of South 180 East on the eastbound lanes). It then crosses South 180 East before turning south as East Bay Boulevard curves and becomes East Bay Boulevard. Upon reaching East 1860 South it turns west and, while still in a shared lane, it arrives at the East Bay South stop (located on the west bound lanes). From that stop it continues west until it once again reaches South University Avenue. After turning north on South University Avenue, it continues north until it turns west on Towne Centre Drive.
The Utah Valley Express stops only once at both the East Bay North and South stops (in one direction only) as it loops clockwise through the East Bay Businsess Park. After turning west onto Towne Centre Drive, it follows its route back to the Orem Intermodal Center as it stops at all the other stops/stations alone its route. Occasionally, buses will head north through the Freedom Boulevard roundabout and turn into Provo Central Station at 750 South.
Stops
Future Stops
As part of Phase II three new stops will be created on the north and northeast side of the UVU campus and the stop on the south side of campus (UVU) will be eliminated.
See also
*
MAX
* ''
FrontRunner
FrontRunner is a commuter rail train operated by the Utah Transit Authority that operates along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt ...
''
Notes
References
External links
Official UTA websiteProvo Orem Improvement Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Utah Valley Express
Bus rapid transit in Utah
Transportation in Utah County, Utah
2018 introductions
2018 establishments in Utah
Utah Transit Authority