State leaders eye FrontRunner, interchanges as 2034 Olympics projects

Utah leaders and the 2034 Winter Games organizing committee are lining up infrastructure projects they hope the Olympics will help get built, the Deseret News reported, much as I-15 lanes and TRAX were finished ahead of the 2002 Games. ^[1]

Gov. Spencer Cox met Oct. 2 with Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz on Olympic-related infrastructure. Adams said the biggest topic was FrontRunner, which has more than $1 billion in federal funding lined up for 26 more miles of track. He said another billion may be needed for express trains, more frequent service and removing at-grade crossings. ^[1] UTA and UDOT's FrontRunner 2X project page describes double tracking at 11 locations, one new station, one track realignment and 10 new trainsets, with service every 15 minutes at peak hours. ^[2]

Work is already underway on double-tracking FrontRunner and widening I-15 through Davis County, both of which would serve skiing events at Snowbasin. Interchange improvements near Snowbasin and the Utah Olympic Park are still to come. Schultz said he wants the state to move faster, warning that delays cost more and that the state is financially on the hook for the Games. ^[1]

Abby Osborne, a former House chief of staff who joined Utah 2034 as a vice president, said the privately funded committee will vet ideas for lasting projects but will not pay for work outside the Games themselves. "We're not footing the bill," she said. ^[1]