Salt Lake hopes to complete Rio Grande Depot rail plan in time for potential 2034 Olympics

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Goals of completing impressive infrastructure projects ahead of another possible Salt Lake City Olympics have breathed life into a bold plan for passenger rail, but it also puts a ticking clock on making key decisions and finding the money.

The plan is the namesake of the Rio Grande Depot, which some want to turn into a beautiful central hub— a Grand Central Station for Salt Lake.

With the Olympics in mind, Gov. Spencer Cox spoke about the idea Tuesday night, saying, “we really want to dream big and envision how we can make some of these generational investments.”

There are those who believe the perfect fit for a plan that dreams big is the Rio Grande, envisioning a city that’s not just built for cars.

And they feel a push to prepare for the potential 2034 Olympics could put this rail plan on the fast track.

MORE: Rio Grande Plan proposal hopes to be new 'front door' into Salt Lake

“I do have hope that a lot of things are going to fall into place very quickly,” one supporter stated, while another said, “I think the Olympics is a way to make it happen sooner.”

Supporters point to the rail lines that split Salt Lake in two near I-15, causing headaches for drivers forced to wait at crossings for freight and FrontRunner trains. Those rail lines would potentially be relocated beneath the pavement at 500 West.

Supporters of this plan say as Salt Lake grows, there's a need for more support for public transportation to avoid perpetual gridlock.

“We have regular meetings with Mayor Mendenhall and we’re talking about some of those ideas and how would we’d pay for those type of ideas,” Cox said.

The Rio Grande plan would come at a cost, estimated at 2 to 3 billion or more of taxpayer dollars.

“The I-15 expansion project from SLC to Farmington is going to cost $4 billion. The airport terminal reconstruction plan that’s cost $5 billion over the last 10 years. So this is not out of line with other big infrastructure projects,” a supporter of the project said.

For many who want this to happen, the time is now, as a major project requires time and if the desire is to get it done for the Olympics, each day brings us closer to a 2034 deadline.

“We’d have to start soon and the probability of that happening decreases a little bit every day, but it’s not impossible. We can have it done,” they said.

The governor did say he plans to dig into potential infrastructure plans in the coming weeks, once he gets past bill signings.