UDOT unveils plan for prioritizing projects

The Utah Department of Transportation is proposing a change in how construction projects qualify for funding through the Centennial Highway Fund and other transportation funding sources.

UDOT officials recently presented the new plan for prioritizing projects to the Utah Legislature's Transportation Planning Task Force.

UDOT executive director John Njord said the $3.4 billion Centennial Highway Fund — financed through a five-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax — has been successful at completing much-needed new construction projects throughout the state, including the reconstruction of I-15 in the Salt Lake Valley.

However, in part because the 41 projects on the Centennial Highway list have cost a total of $956 million more than expected, UDOT's other construction fund, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, and UDOT's road maintenance program have suffered financially. Those UDOT programs have been reduced to "filling holes and mending fences," Njord said.

"The Centennial Highway Fund has been criticized for locking into projects — no flexibility," he said. "We believe it's more prudent to have categories of projects rather than a list of projects."

UDOT officials say the state's transportation needs fall into five broad categories, and they feel projects should be prioritized within those five areas before any funding decisions are made.

• Urban mobility — This includes major north-south and east-west corridors, like Interstate 15 and the Bangerter Highway, that create a roadway grid within and between Utah's urban communities.

• Safety improvements — These would be projects that would help reduce the mortality rate on Utah's roadways (which now averages about 300 deaths per year), and would include smaller improvements in rural areas such as additional passing lanes or increasing road widths.

• Major reconstruction and rehabilitation — This category would include replacing pavement and bridges, as well as freeway rebuilding projects.

• Economic development — These projects would involve the main tourism, commerce and recreational travel routes.

• Optimize existing system — Relieving congestion and providing commuter services through traffic management systems, like the cameras, speed sensors and variable message signs employed by UDOT's Traffic Operations Center.