As a rapidly growing city, Vineyard is having to revise and update several of its plans, including the Transportation Master Plan. City leadership has started that process, which will go throughout the year before, city leaders hope, having it approved by the Nov. 8 city council meeting.

Until then, Public Works director Naseem Ghandour said the goal is to stay connected with people, businesses, roads, transit and rails.

Mayor Julie Fullmer has been negotiating vigorously with the Union Pacific rail line in relocating the rails west of the city. She is hoping to eliminate seven crossings while adding two in the industrial area of the city.

“The master plan will piggy back on that program,” Ghandour said.

Prior to November, the process includes major public outreach, doing future analysis, listing projects and identifying funding sources.

The city has a public, online survey at http://transportation@vineyard.org until April 28. An open house will be held April 25 at Freedom Preparatory Academy, 426 N. 100 West, for residents to see the various proposals and offer their own suggestions.

Town Hall meetings have already started in specific areas of town to address and pinpoint area needs. Those will continue throughout the summer.

The Transportation Master Plan will identify future demands and projects. To get to a completed master plan, the city will have to engage in a Capital Facilities Plan that will prioritize projects and estimate costs.

According to Ghandour, Vineyard will also have to develop an Impact Fee Facilities Plan and an Impact Fee Analysis that will calculate transportation impact fees developers will be required to pay.

The last full Transportation Master Plan and analysis was done in 2007 when the city had fewer than 150 residents — 139 in the 2010 U.S. Census — compared to over 12,000 today.

The TMP will look at all modes of transportation including personal vehicles, public transit, walking and biking. It will build off the transportation plan currently in use.

In just the past year or so, the Utah Transit Authority has opened a FrontRunner intermodal hub, more bus routes and the Vineyard Connecter, from the Utah Department of Transportation, as well as walking and bike trails.

The FrontRunner trains have been busy since opening last year, according to Ghandour. “Our FrontRunner has as much traffic as Lehi but with less population,” he said.

The Transportation Master Plan is an integral part of Vineyards infrastructure as it begins to build out its downtown area.

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