Post Project Review University Light Rail

1
Post Project ReviewUniversity Light Rail

• Impact Mitigation Efforts Analyzed
• And Evaluated

2
Report Focus

• Were the mitigation measures successful in
  reducing the impact on businesses?
• What is the current status of the business
  community eighteen months after completion?

3
Statistical Data

• Sales tax revenues
• Traffic counts

4
Analysis of Sales Tax Data

• Five year history compared
• Revenues down 6.7 during construction period of
  sixteen months
• Business revenues showed biggest drop as heavy
  construction was immediately in front of business
• Staging construction a major factor in reducing
  impacts

5
Analysis of Traffic Study

• UDOT Traffic on Utah Highways report of 1995
  2001
• 2003 traffic surveys conducted by Fehr/Peers
• Interviews with business owners, all with
  drive-through business

6
Analysis contd

• Peak hour traffic ahead of projections by three
  to four years
• Business owners report back to pre-construction
  levels, half see an increase
• All agreed traffic is at full strength

7
Personal Interview Results

• Conducted by U of U School of Business
• What were the impacts of mitigation efforts?
• What can stakeholders do to improve?
• What are impacts now that the project is
  completed?

8
Satisfaction

• Access maintained
• Staging big factor in reducing time of impact
• Advance notice on utility disruption
• High marks for contractors communication
• Contractor incentive very effective
• Loan fund
• Majority agree 400 South is a better street

9
Dissatisfaction

• Hotline mixed reviews, personnel an issue
• Marketing efforts also mixed
• Loss of curbside parking
• UTA not as business sensitive as they should be
• Businesses located next to stations parking
  problems
• UTA representatives changed, not consistent
• Perception that information was still not
  consistent enough

10
Conclusions

• Overall business decline substantially less than
  feared
• Marketing efforts should be more individualized
• The contractor is essential in effectively
  executing the mitigation plan
• Stakeholders are well advised to listen to and
  address concerns of the community
• This was truly an example of how business and
  government can get along when they set their
  minds to it. Mark Hale, Owner, Big H Drive In