From Deseret News archives:
South Jordan Council opposed to tolls
It passes resolution to send a message to state legislators
The City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night stating its opposition to imposing tolls on the proposed 40-mile freeway in western Salt Lake County and northwest Utah County. The proposed route of the Mountain View Corridor runs through South Jordan.
Imposing tolls on the highway would set a "heretofore unseen precedent of tolling a public road" in Utah and "disproportionately shift the financial burden of constructing a necessary highway to only a portion of Salt Lake County," according to the resolution.
City spokesman Chip Dawson said the resolution came after City Council members met with staff to discuss tolling on the Mountain View Corridor and how that may affect South Jordan residents. The consensus was a strong resistance to tolling, and city officials wanted to make that stance known, Dawson said.
"The City Council and staff felt a resolution would send a stronger message to the Legislature," he said.
Although state and local leaders agree that the freeway is needed to keep traffic flowing on the rapidly growing west side, Utah Department of Transportation officials have said no funding exists for the estimated $2 billion project.
The state Transportation Commission is considering whether Mountain View should be built as a toll road, which would reduce the state's portion of that cost to an estimated $600 million.
The verdict on whether to toll the freeway ultimately will be made by the Transportation Commission, although no decision is expected until the Legislature has its say. That may delay a resolution on the toll issue until late next year.
E-mail: jpage@desnews.com
