The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will provide $116 million to extend the Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) TRAX light rail transit service from downtown Salt Lake City into the suburb of Draper.

The 3.8-mile extension is the final project in a seven-year, 70-mile effort to significantly expand transit options for residents and commuters in the Salt Lake City area, one of the nation’s fastest growing cities.

The Draper Light Rail Project, a 3.8-mile extension of UTA’s current TRAX service, will add jobs to the 3,100 construction-related jobs already created. The project, which includes three new stations with park-and-ride-facilities, will run parallel to the heavily traveled Interstate 15 corridor and make it easier for suburban residents to commute to jobs in Salt Lake City.

The total cost for the Draper extension project is $194 million. Construction is already under way and expected to be completed in December 2013.

The extension of TRAX service to Draper is the final project in UTA’s Frontlines 2015 Program, a $2.9 billion program to build 70 miles of rail in seven years and place a major transit stop within reach of every resident in the UTA service area. Four new light rail lines, one new commuter rail line and a new light rail maintenance facility will more than double UTA’s existing rail system. Including today’s funding announcement, FTA has committed approximately $570 million in total to the Frontlines 2015 Program, including $25 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.