Salt Lake City Intermodal Facility
Salt Lake City, Utah

CLIENT
Union Pacific Railroad

YEAR COMPLETED
2005

PROJECT COST
$75,000,000

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Hanson provided design engineering services for a new intermodal facility on a 250 acre site in Salt Lake City, Utah. The new facility replaced the existing North Salt Lake facility. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) was required to vacate the North Salt Lake property in time to accommodate UTA plans for constructing their commuter line between Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah. The new facility was constructed to handle a minimum 130,000 lifts annually and designed for future expansion capabilities to handle 350,000 lifts annually.

Services included a topographic survey, geotechnical investigation, environmental investigation, hydraulic study, grading, paving, site utilities, track design, building design and permitting. Additional services included the design of improvements to existing city streets, the design of a new city street to provide access to the site, relocation of two irrigation canals, relocation of high voltage power lines and the relocation of an existing UPRR main line track. The design included developing the green field site into an intermodal facility, which included support tracks, receiving/departure tracks, a ramp and unloading area, a cranes service area, a locomotive fueling track, a RIP track and an automated gate processing area.

The facility includes four ramp tracks, two R&D tracks, six storage tracks, relocation of an existing main line, a RIP track, and an engine fueling track. Additional improvements include:

• parking for 1,300 trailers and containers,
• an automated gate system with six inbound/outbound lanes and one by-pass lane,
• site detention,
• industrial waste treatment plant,
• gate administration building,
• maintenance building, and
• switchman’s building.

Environmental aspects included permitting for Clean Water Act Section 404, NPDES stormwater discharge, preparation of Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan, industrial waste pretreatment and discharge and fuel storage tanks. Wetlands investigations of 0.4 acres of Playa wetlands resulted in the offsite mitigation in kind at an 8 to 1 ratio, due to diminishing type of the Playa wetlands.

Hanson was also responsible for assisting the UPRR in obtaining the necessary construction permits for the project. Our team met and provided in-progress documents to the agencies during the design phase. The primary city agencies that Hanson worked with included the Department of Public Utilities, Building Services and Licensing, Engineering, and the City Planning Division. Hanson also coordinated activities with the Salt Lake City Transportation, Fire and Airport Departments and the Utah Department of Transportation.

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