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- Salt Lake City is deploying a system to alleviate traffic congestion caused by unpredictable train schedules on the west side, particularly along 900 West.
- The technology involves sensors and electronic signs to inform drivers about train arrivals and expected delays, allowing them to reroute accordingly.
- This pilot project, spearheaded by City Councilman Alejandro Puy, addresses significant community concerns, including delays impacting appointments and emergency response.
SALT LAKE CITY — Getting stuck at a railroad crossing is never ideal, but people who live on the west side of Salt Lake City know this all too well.
"You never know when (the train) is going to go away," said Alejandro Puy, councilman for District 2. "It could be a five minute wall or it could be a 45 minute wall which, as you might imagine, it creates all sorts of problems for people."
In 2023, Puy created an initiative to hear how blocked crossings with trains ranging 2 to 3 miles impacted people who drive along 900 West.
Puy said the stories he heard included parents who were delayed and had to pay extra for child care and people who were late for doctors' appointments and had to wait months to reschedule.
"They range from someone giving birth waiting for the train to someone missing a job interview because (they) were late, missing a concert, missing a date," he said.
Puy said first responders have also voiced concerns.
"Many times, if it's a time-sensitive call for service; they avoid the intersections even if they are closer to them because they don't know if they could be stuck," he said.
Since then, Puy has sought solutions to alleviate some of the stress. The City Council was able to allocate funding for the pilot installation of the Trainfo Mobility Solution.
The system will use sensors to track when a train is coming. Electronic signs posted north and south of the railroad crossing on 900 West and South Temple will alert drivers when the train is coming and how long they can expect to be delayed. The system should be up and running by Oct. 7.
"It will let people know ahead of time while it's not too late, and they can still reroute," said Jon Larsen, transportation director for Salt Lake City.
Larsen said if the technology is successful, it could be expanded to other railroad crossings. The new technology is part of a bigger project to bridge the east and west sides of the city together.
"I really want people to know that we hear you," Larsen said. "We know that this is a really frustrating issue, and we're going to keep working on it with projects big and small and everything in between until we've got this east-west divide sealed and fixed."
Drivers and pedestrians can report blocked crossings to the Federal Railroad Administration and can continue to report when they're impacted to the city.
