Utah Transportation

Interstate 15 is the main interstate highway in the state, entering from Arizona and spanning the state north-south, entering Idaho near Portage. It serves the primary population centers of the state, running past St. George and its suburbs (collectively known as Dixie) and Cedar City, and then spans the length of the Wasatch Front north-south, past such major cities as Provo, Orem, Sandy, West Jordan, Salt Lake City, Layton, and Ogden.

Interstate 80 spans the northern portion of the state west-east. It enters from Nevada at Wendover, traverses Salt Lake City (briefly merging with I-15 west of Downtown), then crosses the Wasatch Range, entering Wyoming just before reaching Evanston. Interstate 84 splits from I-80 at Echo, heading west through the Wasatch Range and joining I-15 southwest of Ogden. The two interstates stay merged until Tremonton, where I-84 heads northwest, entering Idaho near Snowville.

Interstate 70 splits from I-15 at Cove Fort, heading east through the mountains, past Richfield, and then east into Colorado west of Grand Junction, traversing desolate desert terrain and serving the various national parks and national monuments of southern Utah. The stretch of I-70 between Salina and Green River is the longest stretch of interstate in the country without any services.

A light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley, known as TRAX, consists of two lines, one providing access from Downtown Salt Lake City south to Sandy, and the other heading east to the University of Utah. The Utah Transit Authority (UTA), which operates TRAX, also operates a bus system that stretches across the Wasatch Front and into Tooele, and also provides winter service to the ski resorts east of Salt Lake City. Several bus companies provide access to the ski resorts in winter, and local bus companies also serve Logan, St. George and Cedar City. The Legacy Highway is a freeway that is currently under construction in southern Davis County to relieve congestion on I-15 through the area. A commuter rail line, named FrontRunner, is under construction between Salt Lake City and Pleasant View, north of Ogden. Both of these projects are expected to be completed in spring 2008. FrontRunner is expected to eventually span the Wasatch Front from Brigham City in the north to Payson in the south.

Salt Lake City International Airport is the only international airport in the state and serves as a hub of Delta Airlines. In 2005 it was ranked 1st in on-time departures and 2nd in on-time arrivals in the country, and consistently ranks in the top 10 for customer service. Canyonlands Field (near Moab), Cedar City Regional Airport, St. George Municipal Airport, and Vernal-Uintah County Airport all provide limited commerical air service to various regional destinations, as well (Vernal-Uintah County is only served by Salt Lake International). Ground has recently been broken on creating a new, larger regional airport for St. George, due to the rapidly-growing population and the lack of room for expansion for the current airport. Completion is expected in 2010. SkyWest Airlines is also based in St. George.