A toll on I-15 near Virgin River Gorge?

If the stretch of I-15 that passes through the scenic and winding Virgin River Gorge in Arizona is as bad as Arizona officials say — inspections reportedly found cracks in steel girders, broken welds and other problems in seven bridges — then Arizona needs to find a way other than imposing a toll on the highway to fund the repairs.

We say that not because we oppose tolls in principle. We don't; tolling, if properly structured, can be an honest way for users to pay for the privilege of driving on, and wearing out, a roadway. No, we say it because, even under the best estimates we've heard, getting federal approval to collect a toll on that stretch would take years. The many Utahns who drive that highway regularly, or who rely on goods that travel that stretch on trucks, would prefer quick action on something that sounds like a major public safety issue.

Arizona's leaders, however, have not been as careful stewards of their public resources as have Utah's elected officials with theirs. Arizona's highway funds are virtually tapped out. Earlier this year the Arizona Department of Transportation asked for $30 million to maintain the I-15 stretch, but the State Transportation Board denied the request. Meanwhile, the rating agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's recently downgraded the Arizona Department of Transportation primarily because Arizona's Legislature has made a practice of raiding transportation funds to help balance the state's overall budget.

The downgrade has made it virtually impossible for the state to bond for the $300 million it had planned to borrow for a five-year construction plan that included repairs to I-15.

A little history is in order. Utah has had an interest, including a financial one, in the road from the start. When the federal government decided to build I-15 through the area in the early '60s, it chose to cut through the gorge, which made it the nation's most expensive highway at the time and delayed its finish until 1973. This was good news for St. George, because the new road cut many miles off the route and made truck transport easier and cheaper. To help Arizona with a road that provides little benefit to that state, Utah agreed to loan a portion of its federal highway funds to the Grand Canyon State.