Provo seeking $1.25 million from lawmakers for airport radar system

Provo is seeking $1.25 million in funds from the Legislature to pay for a new radar system at the Provo Airport.

Mayor Lewis Billings told members of a transportation budget committee that his city is located in a geographic bowl, and current radar systems cannot adequately guide pilots in the area. He said the inability to use radar is a safety concern, and some speculate pilots have died as result of having no guidance from a radar system.

"We are working hard to see what we can come up with," Billings said of the issue.

Members of the Transportation Committee voted Wednesday to place the issue on a priority list for funding. Lawmakers will debate in the coming days what "priority" items they would like to fund for individual state agencies and needy groups. The money for the radar would be a one-time appropriation.