Jerry Grover's responses to News candidate questionnaire

Jerry Grover's responses to questionnaire:

Deseret Morning News: What do you see as the No. 1 issue facing Utah County today, and how would you deal with it?

Jerry Grover: Issues related to growth are all critical, specifically transportation, especially on the north end of the County.

As a licensed civil engineer, I understand very well all the intricacies of Utah County's transportation problem. The county does not have jurisdiction over state, federal or city roads. The county does have direct jurisdiction over roads that are classified as county roads lying outside of cities.

During my term in office, Utah County has resurfaced or built more than 660 miles of county roads, upgraded or constructed 23 bridges, upgraded 21 railroad crossings and constructed 10 new miles of trails. I am the only candidate in this race who has the technical knowledge to grapple with the massive transportation growth we are experiencing.

That being said, the current approach to transportation by entities responsible for transportation has flaws that need to be corrected.

IMPROPER REGIONAL PLANNING RELATIONSHIPS

There is a reason that the money flowing for transportation is not prioritized into Utah County. Currently, the Wasatch Front Regional Planning Organization consists of Salt Lake, Davis and Tooele counties. They put together regional transportation plans for their planning area and then use their legislators to get state and federal pass-through money for them.

Utah County is not a participant in the Wasatch Front Regional Council. Instead, Utah County has been relegated to developing a regional transportation through the Mountainland Association of Governments, which consists of Summit, Wasatch and Utah counties. Utah County has little to plan with Kamas, Heber, Park City and Coalville when it comes to regional transportation infrastructure like I-15 and commuter rail.

The Mountainland concept needs to be abandoned and transitioned into the Wasatch Front Regional Council, so Utah County can have a seat at the table. The status quo is unacceptable and is going to result in massive gridlock countywide. If elected, I will seek entrance of Utah County into the Wasatch Front Regional Council with whatever areas I have jurisdiction over, and also encourage individual cities to do the same.

COUNTY HIGHWAYS OR REGIONAL PARKWAYS