Road projects to bring jobs

A University of Utah study has determined that if $14.4 billion worth of planned transportation improvements are made in Utah over the next 26 years, the result will be greater economic development potential and "thousands of new, well-paying construction jobs."

The report, prepared by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research in the university's David S. Eccles School of Business, was released Wednesday. It was sponsored by the Utah Transit Authority and titled "Economic and Demographic Impacts of Federally Financed Transportation Infrastructure on the Wasatch Front."

The study indicates planned road and transit projects — including commuter rail, the Legacy Parkway and the Mountain View Corridor highway — will result in a "permanent, specialized, transportation labor force."

"Having a variety of transportation experts in the state will be a huge engine for economic growth — and these won't just be temporary laborers," said Pam Perlich, a senior research economist for the bureau, who prepared the report.

"These will be established residents whose professional expertise and goods and services could be exported to other regions, bringing even more money back into the state. This is good news for a state that struggles with wages."

Federal dollars financing the projects will bring in an average of 2,800 additional jobs each year, and Utah's gross state product would average $211.8 million more annually, according to the study.

However, Perlich noted, "Funding for transportation in the state is uncertain as the federal budget is now deficit again and the economy is not as strong. That's part of what the transportation planners and public policy people will have to consider."

To read the complete report, go to: www.business.utah.edu/bebr.