Map of the Month: Generations Gather Together

In the map image above, you can see clusters of younger people (represented by darker blue dots) in areas such as southwest Salt Lake County and northwest Utah County, whereas other communities, such as northern and eastern Salt Lake County are relatively older. Click on the map for more details!

The holidays are often a time for generations to gather together. Accordingly, our map of the month, Age Groups in Utah, is a quick look at the distribution of age cohorts along the Wasatch Front, drawing from data collected as part of the 2020 Census.

Not surprisingly, different neighborhoods have different distributions of youth, seniors and everyone in between. The map allows users to view the geographic distribution of three different age cohorts: 0-17, 18-65, and 65+. The map also shows household size at a census tract level geography.

Utah's age characteristics are somewhat unique as we are the youngest state in the country — 3.5 years younger on average than the next youngest state, Texas. And our demographic differences impact how and where we travel, and therefore how we best provide transportation options within our region.

Whether or not you're planning a multi-generational gathering later this month, we hope you enjoy this look at another facet of our regional landscape, and that you'll have a great holiday season! 

Thank You for Participation in Fall Workshops and All Year Round! 

We’d like to extend our gratitude to all of our partners for their continued support, engagement, and interest in working with our team to plan for the future of our region and state. 

The work that we do together to accomplish the Wasatch Choice Vision is centered around our shared purpose of ensuring Utah’s quality of life as we grow. WFRC appreciates the opportunity to convene our cities, counties, and other partners to weigh in on the needs of your individual communities and our region. Thank you!

Advancing the Safety Plan Through New SS4A Grants

WFRC is proud to announce that we’ve been awarded a $224,000 federal grant through the USDOT’s Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program! 

This award will allow WFRC to conduct Roadway Safety Audits (RSA) for as many as seven corridors in coordination with the existing Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP). The RSAs will include identification of safety deficiencies, recommended improvements, and detailed cost estimates to be used in projects that implement the improvements.

WFRC and MAG’s development of regional CSAPs — in collaboration with local governments — also enabled communities in our area to apply for SS4A funding directly. This yielded fruitful results, with many entities also receiving project awards in this grant cycle.

Midvale’s Main Street Project Receives Honors

In 2022, WFRC awarded Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) technical assistance to Midvale City to complete a Historic Main Street Urban Design project. This project aimed to revitalize Main Street and enhance the pedestrian experience. The plan identifies a number of strategies to achieve this goal, including sidewalk improvements, street lighting and landscaping, public art installations, and facade improvement grants. Implementing these strategies will provide Midvale with an engaging public space that will improve business and be utilized for community events. 

Due to the great work of the project team, this project won the Utah APA Beehive Award of Excellence and was also honored at the Utah American Society of Landscape Architects gala. Congratulations to everyone involved in this great project!  

The TLC program is funded jointly by WFRC, UDOT, UTA, and Salt Lake County. 

Utah is Recognized for Its Collaborative Transportation Planning

The Brookings Institution — a nationally regarded research and public policy organization — recently published a report taking a closer look at state departments of transportation across the country. In the report, Utah received notable commendation for its approach to collaborative long-term transportation planning through Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan. 

The report says:

“Though there are gaps between many MPOs and state DOTs when it comes to collaborative planning and investments, there are places that stand as models of a closer, healthier relationship between state and regional leaders. This is certainly the case in Utah…” (Box 3 / page 22).

We’re excited to have the ‘Utah Way’ recognized nationally, and look forward to continuing our relationships with transportation partner organizations, local officials and planners, state officials, and other stakeholders across our region and state as we work and plan together for Utah's future. 

Transportation Conference Award Goes to Clearfield TOD Project

General future land use map for the Clearfield FrontRunner Station Area

Last month at the Utah Transportation Conference, UTA, the City of Clearfield, and WFRC received the Strengthening the Economy Through Transportation award for the Clearfield Station Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project. WFRC provided technical and financial support through the Transportation and Land Use Connection program. 

We’re excited to see this project breaking ground. It’s another example of what strong partnerships can make possible. If you’d like to learn a little more about the project, check out this short story from UTA.

Partner Spotlight: Hill Air Force Base

Thank you Hill Air Force Base for hosting WFRC staff!

WFRC staff had an opportunity to tour Hill Air Force Base (HAFB) last week. The base is actively working to improve their transportation network to serve their commitments to the Air Force and to the surrounding communities. They will be welcoming a major new facility to service additional fighter aircraft, eventually adding approximately 2,500 jobs. Did you know that 27,000 people work on the base but only 6,000 of those are military personnel? 

We look forward to continuing to work with the HAFB staff, surrounding communities, UDOT and UTA to ensure visitors, residents, and employees can travel safely and easily to and from the base for years to come.

Visioning Plan for Southwest Waterways Moves to Completion

H2Oquirrh, the Southwest Waterways Visioning Plan, looks comprehensively at Salt Lake County's southwest corner's perennial and ephemeral streams, creeks, washes, and canals. The Plan convenes several communities, including Bluffdale, Copperton, Herriman, West Jordan, and Riverton, to create a unified vision around their valuable natural areas and stream corridors. This project, which was funded in part through a 2022 Transportation and Land Use Connection program award, is now nearing completion, with a 90% complete draft plan released for public comment. 

H2Oquirrh focuses on environmental stewardship by establishing a community-endorsed framework, recommends sustainable practices, proposes actionable policies, and provides an all-encompassing design toolkit to guide future improvements. This visioning plan combines two essential components of the Wasatch Choice Vision by connecting people with valuable natural open spaces, and by exploring future transportation options for this growing corner of the Salt Lake Valley.

Federal Grant Opportunities

Funds for More Resilient Transportation

Applications are open for the FY24 and FY25 rounds of the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grants. This is a discretionary grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, intended to make transportation more resilient to the effects of climate change. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally recognized tribes and affiliated groups, and planning and project organizations.

Applications must be submitted by February 24, 2025, to Grants.gov. Click here for the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

More Funds for Local and Regional Transportation Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program provides grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, Tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs.

The deadline for Round 2 applicants who are submitting new applications is January 30, 2025. 

From the U.S. Department of Transportation.