Shortfall in road funding?

Utah's roadway and transit needs, between now and 2030, will cost $23.6 billion more than current revenue streams will provide, state lawmakers were told Wednesday.

The question now facing legislators is how those additional funds can be raised.

The $23.6 billion figure comes from a study prepared by the Utah League of Cities and Towns. It was presented Wednesday morning to the Legislature's Transportation Planning Task Force, a group of lawmakers examining how the state's transportation infrastructure can be maintained and improved.

Money is the answer, it would appear. And there are at least 11 sources, identified by the League of Cities and Towns, that could be used to generate more transportation dollars.

"The gas tax doesn't pay for all road and transportation needs," Lincoln Shurtz, a legislative analyst for the League of Cities and Towns, told the task force. "The gas tax is obviously going to be a major component, but its relevancy is dwindling."

Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Sandy, the task force's co-chairwoman, said the list of funding options was helpful, but asked if the league could rank the different options according to its preference.

"Now it's down to the 11th hour.

We've got to make some choices," she said.

Shurtz said the league plans to return to the task force in October with those specific recommendations.

With about $1 billion in unfunded needs per year, it is apparent "local government is going to have to start participating in state projects," Shurtz added.

SB11, passed by the Legislature last year, asked UDOT and the Utah Transportation Commission to come up with a method for determining how local governments can best contribute to state road projects. UDOT officials reported Thursday they are continuing to work on a proposal, noting many rural leaders are concerned that a local-match framework would give an advantage to larger counties and metropolitan areas. Lawmakers on the task force agreed that is a major issue to consider.

One partial solution, mentioned by the league, would be to dedicate a portion of state road monies to a separate fund for collector roads — roads that may not be major highways but often serve as main arteries for rural communities.

The $23.6 billion figure does not include local roads. Over the past five years, the league reported, $801 million was spent on building and maintaining local roads. Only 44 percent of that was paid for by gas tax revenue. The rest came from the general revenue funds of local governments, according to the league.

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