The Point is 600 acres of state-owned land in Draper, Utah. Until recently, it was home to the Utah State Prison. The authorities describe the site as offering “one of the most important quality-of-life opportunities in Utah history:” It is intended to foster innovation and technological advancement, provide parks and open spaces, support economic opportunity and enhance Utahns’ quality of life. Among the facilities being planned are affordable housing options, parks and regional trail connections. And – perhaps – vertiports.
The team
Established by the Utah State Legislature on May 8, 2018, The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority’s role is to guide development of The Point. A 12-member board composed of state legislators, agency executives, local elected officials and business leaders, its goals include setting a standard for forward-thinking development, creating a valued legacy for decades to come and helping solve some of the existing problems in the region. Specifically, the Land Authority will be required to promote a high standard of living for residents of The Point, while maximising the creation of high-quality jobs and attracting and encouraging a highly-trained workforce. Perhaps of greatest interest to Vertiports readers, it has also been tasked with enhancing mobility and protecting the environment. That’s where advanced air mobility (AAM) comes in.
A rendering of how a vertiport might look at the centre of a busy multimodal transport system
Is AAM feasible?
NEXA, an advisory firm in the aerospace industry, has been commissioned to conduct an in-depth study of the market demand, financial feasibility and regulatory framework and infrastructure needs for potential vertiports, air taxi services and drone deliveries.
Jordan Teuscher, co-chair of the Land Authority, explained: “Drone delivery technology has been welcomed in Utah with great success. For over two years, South Jordan City has partnered with Zipline to deliver everything from critical medicine to cookies right to residents’ front doors. In studying the feasibility of potential drone delivery and air taxi service at The Point, we are taking a phased approach to responsibly planning for the future, while ensuring our plans are grounded in reality.”
The 600-acre state-owned site offers enormous opportunities in sectors from transport to employment
NEXA has led AAM projects around the country and globally. The team will analyse a variety of ways that air taxis and drone delivery services could be used, including for medical needs, cargo delivery, on-demand ridesharing, airport shuttles and commuting. They will catalogue the size and number of potential vertiports, forecast passenger demand, delineate air corridors and estimate ticket prices. In addition, they will identify specific areas at The Point that are projected to have high demand for air taxis and recommend how those areas could integrate with existing ground transportation options to reduce congestion and travel time for commuters.
Dr Tulinda Larsen, principal at NEXA Advisors, said: “Our team is thrilled to be working with The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority to conduct this ground-breaking study. The forward-thinking plans established for the first development phase provide us with an excellent blueprint for integrating a transportation system in the air that connects safely and seamlessly with the transportation system on the ground. We aim to provide actionable insights and recommendations for policymakers, transportation planners and industry stakeholders to consider as Utah’s Innovation Community takes shape.”
Sustainability has been at the heart of the project since its outset
Utah and AAM
Utah is one of the only states in the US that is undertaking a comprehensive, statewide approach to AAM, supported at the highest levels of state and local government, industry and academia. The announcement comes just months after the Utah Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics conducted a first-of-its-kind vertiport demonstration and 47G, Utah’s aerospace industry association, launched Project ALTA (see above).
Land Authority co-chair Lowry Snow said: “The state legislature has given us a mandate to create a future-focused transportation system at The Point that seamlessly moves people. To achieve this mandate, we are carefully assessing a wide variety of multimodal solutions that include not only roads and transit but also drones and air taxis. We are taking incremental steps to ensure we remain at the forefront of innovations that benefit all Utahns through better mobility, enhanced job access and improved air quality.”
A green future
Not only would eVTOLs and drones provide a greener method of transportation to existing methods, but any vertiport built at The Point would be constructed in as eco-friendly a way as possible. This has been a priority from the outset. The demolition of the prison saw The Land Authority, in close collaboration with the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM), prioritise sustainable practices. For example, they recycled more than 70% of all materials, with 100% of the concrete from the old buildings recycled on site. Crushing the concrete on site eliminated approximately 160,000 miles of truck traffic, improved air quality, reduced wear and tear on adjacent roads and lessened the impact on neighbouring communities.
Alan Matheson, The Point executive director, explained: “From day one we made a commitment to Utahns that we would conduct our work at The Point in a sustainable manner. Our demolition efforts directly reflect that commitment. For instance, concrete from the old prison buildings is being used in the foundation of new buildings and future roads.
The Point has been years in the making
“We believe that this is not only a sustainable approach to development, but also literally and figuratively transitions the site from being a place of constraint into a place of openness, learning and opportunity.”
Matheson’s sentiments were echoed by Jordan Teuscher of The Land Authority, who concluded: “We are transforming this site into Utah’s Innovation Community, where Utahns will have the freedom to choose from a variety of high-paying jobs, world-class shopping venues, family-friendly activities, recreational amenities, entertainment venues and so much more.”
Placing AAM at the heart of The Point can only mean good things for Utahns.
The feasibility study will examine how air taxis and drone delivery services could be used at The Point
Further reading: Project ALTA
Launched by 47G in partnership with the State Governor’s Office, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and the Utah Inland Port Authority, Project ALTA (Air Logistics Transportation Alliance) aims to establish an air transportation system by 2034, when Utah is hosting the Winter Olympic Games.
Aaron Starks, president and CEO of 47G, said: “Project ALTA represents a collaborative, public-private partnership of industry and government stakeholders that seeks to put Utah on the map globally as an innovative, future-focused state. By leveraging our entrepreneurial spirit and cutting-edge technologies, we will attract investment, accelerate the development of critical infrastructure and enable the deployment of aircraft that make our transportation system truly multimodal.”
Dozens of Utah-based companies already play an active and integral role in the global AAM market, making the state the ideal setting for an air transportation system. Among them are Electric Power Systems, which provides cutting-edge batteries for electric aircraft manufacturers, Albany Engineered Composites, which develops structural components for Beta Technologies’ air taxis, and Intergalactic, which manufactures thermal management systems for Embraer’s Eve aircraft.
By 2034, Project Alta will have overseen four main phases of AAM integration in Utah, including the expansion of existing drone package delivery, as well as instituting reliable cargo transport and moving people. Paul Damron, UDOT advanced air mobility manager, explained: “In partnership with 47G, we plan to create a well-functioning transportation system in the air that connects seamlessly with the transportation system on the ground. Imagine a world where you can hop on an air taxi and travel anywhere along the Wasatch Front [a major metropolitan region in north-central Utah] in 20 minutes.”
The Land Authority has chosen NEXA Advisors of McClean, Virginia, to study the feasibility of AAM at The Point
