Toll roads could be in Utah's future

The East Coast has embraced it. States like Colorado and Texas are studying it.

Now Utah lawmakers are looking at tolling as a strategy to fund new state roads. The state is already studying whether the Mountain View Corridor — a proposed western Salt Lake County highway — could be tolled.

Tolling Mountain View could mean that it's built within years, not decades.

"There is some interest among (lawmakers) to explore this and see if there are opportunities to open doors," said John Njord, UDOT executive director. "If the doors are closed, no one can come in."

On Wednesday, the Utah Department of Transportation released to the Transportation Interim Committee a final report that listed four other state roads with potential for tolling. Nine additional roads were listed with potential for reversible lanes or HOT, "high-occupancy toll" lanes.

UDOT already has legislative permission to convert carpool lanes to HOT lanes along I-15 — something that could happen within the next year.

The department also presented information about public-private partnerships, where the state joins with a private business help build a road. Private participation could include "planning, financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a transportation facility," according to UDOT.

In Texas, a business has offered to pay for the right to manage and toll a state road, said Phillip Russell, director of the Texas Turnpike Authority, a division within the Texas Department of Transportation.

It's a partnership that could allow the state to build a road within years, instead of decades. It also provides a "financial engine" for funding transportation, Russell said.

Critics worry about the risk. Even UDOT admits there are no guarantees, said Dave Creer, lobbyist for the Utah Truckers Association.

"I worry," he said. "I look at the risks down the road of public-private partnerships. The private wants a return on their investment. What happens if that doesn't happen?"

Lawmakers have a steep learning curve in their study of tolling, he continued. "We need not to get too excited," he said. "Tolls aren't the only option."

But they must be studied, said Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse.

"The one think worse than paying a toll is not being able to move at all," he said. "Realistically, we have to look at every option possible. Brace yourself."

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