Panel OKs funds for road repairs

ST. GEORGE — The Utah Transportation Commission committed resources to important projects for commuters in both ends of the state during its monthly meeting held in St. George Friday.

The use of $9.3 million in Federal Highway Administration emergency relief funds to repair public bridges and roads destroyed or seriously compromised during January's flooding in Washington County was formally approved during the meeting.

"The commission had to formally place those projects on the statewide transportation improvement program list," said Tom Hudachko, a Utah Department of Transportation spokesman. "It was essentially a formality that needed to be done in order to spend that money."

Several bridges along the Santa Clara and Virgin rivers were literally ripped from their moorings by raging floodwaters in January. Repair work began immediately and will continue even as local officials worry about the potential for more damage when spring runoff begins.

One bridge lost during the floods was on Valley View Drive, a major connector road in the Green Valley area of St. George. Residents now must take alternate routes to reach neighbors and businesses just across the new channel cut by the Santa Clara River.

Plans include installing a 90-foot-span temporary bridge to connect the north and south ends of Valley View Drive within the next couple of months, said Larry Bulloch, St. George public works director.

"It'll take a couple of years before a permanent structure is in place," he added.

The commission also approved spending $30 million in money appropriated by the Utah State Legislature this year for transportation needs.

"All of that one-time money will be used on filling in and paving the median between Alpine and University Parkway in Utah County," said Hudachko. "It will also provide funding for a carpool lane in both directions. That will really help with the traffic flow problem we have down there."

Motorists in Utah County have long complained about the bumper-to-bumper traffic along I-15, which should be alleviated once the carpool lanes are installed, Hudachko said.

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