With current funding levels, the state cannot afford to build the Mountain View Corridor highway unless "innovative" ideas like tolling are accepted by Utahns, said John Njord, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation.

"Tolling appears to be a way that we can accelerate the schedule — if that's important," Njord said in an interview Tuesday.

Today, state and local officials will meet to discuss an estimated $16.5 billion deficit for Utah road and transit projects. The meeting will kick off an effort by the state to explain to local leaders and Utah residents why Mountain View, proposed for western Salt Lake County and north Utah County, is being considered as a toll road.

It's all about money, said Njord.

"The fact is, we're not going to be able to finance the Mountain View Corridor, given the resources we have today," he said. "We've got serious congestion on I-15 in Utah County today. How can we ignore that in light of building a new highway somewhere else? We've got to take care of the existing products we've got."

This year, a majority of UDOT's $1.2 billion budget will go toward maintaining current roads and building projects like the Legacy Parkway that are funded under the Centennial Highway Fund, a 10-year construction program financed primarily by an increase in the state gas tax. Only small projects to improve capacity are planned. That's a problem, said Njord, considering Utahn's travel habits are always increasing, and funding to build new roads doesn't exist.

In March, state lawmakers gave UDOT permission to join with private companies in a public-private partnership to build toll roads. Building Mountain View under such a partnership is one way the road could be built, and built soon, Njord said.

Other options for Utah's overall transportation deficit would include a gas-tax hike or increase in vehicle registration fees. The state estimates it would need to raise the gas tax by 50 cents to pay for needed road projects in the state. Registration would need to increase by $305 annually per vehicle.

While no decision has been made about whether to make Mountain View a toll road, Njord said local leaders soon will face decisions about how they want to fund the west-side freeway.

"I think it's unanimous among elected officials on the west side that we need a corridor," he said. "The question is, how do we deliver and when? If we choose to use traditional funding, then that's one route to follow. If we choose to use innovate ways, then that's another direction."

This fall, UDOT plans to come out with definitive recommendations about whether Mountain View should be tolled. For more information, log on to: www.udot.utah.gov.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com