Mountain Express riders will have a new transfer point in Sandy, starting
Monday, Jan. 7, as the City of Sandy opens a new transit center at Centennial
Plaza (next to the Sandy Historical Society museum).

The new center will serve as the eastern terminus for the Sandy Area Metro
(SAM) bus service.

“The transit center will be more of a core area, with better visibility and
security,” said Julie Stephens, transit manager for the city. “It’s close to
conveniences, restaurants, city hall. It’s pretty walkable for that area of
town.”

The center will include a shelter, built in the “Sandy Style” with an open
timber look and pillars, increased street lighting, a bike rack, drinking
fountains and two heated bathrooms, one open to the public and the other
reserved for bus drivers.

Stephens added that an agreement was made with the Church of Christ to use
its parking lot at the intersection of Wolf Drive and Pioneer Boulevard for
increased park-and-ride parking.

While Stephens noted the SAM schedule will remain almost the same, a
number of bus stops will be eliminated, including: Sandy City Hall, Sandy Post
Office, Revenue Avenue and the intersections of Wolf Drive and Pioneer
Boulevard, Langensand Road and Highway 26, Langensand Road and
McCormick Drive, and Meinig Avenue and Proctor Blvd.

Stephens reported some concerns over the eliminated stops, including
employees at Avamere, the senior living facility, who will not be dropped off
as close to work and residents in the neighborhoods where SAM will no longer
stop. She noted that the city’s “dial-a-ride” service, STAR, will continue to
serve those areas and those in need can make a reservation for transportation
from the new transit center to their destination.

Another side effect from the project is two streets will change direction:
Hoffman Avenue will become a northbound one-way street and Revenue
Avenue will become a southbound one-way street.

The center, which was included in the city’s 2009 Transit Master Plan, is
expected to cost approximately $297,000, higher than a projected cost of
$266,165. The city received grants to cover $238,830 of the project, which
was designed by Group Mackenzie and built by JP Contractors.

Stephens noted the eliminated stops will help shorten routes by approximately
four minutes, adding that traffic on the roads has been increasing in recent
years.

“It’s not a very visible benefit, but its a great benefit,” Stephens said. “Our
costs are going up and our funding is not.”