Millions of dollars are just a few minor details and the John Hancock of George W. Bush away from coming to Utah County.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, announced Wednesday that the U.S. Senate had passed funding for such Utah transportation projects as air traffic surveillance for the Provo Airport and bus rapid transit for the Provo/Orem area.

While the bulk of the $120 million for Utah in the bill is marked for commuter rail between Salt Lake and Weber counties, there is still enough money left over to make this valley a little happier:

$1 million will go toward an air traffic surveillance system in Provo. The system is badly needed to improve efficiency and safety in bad weather conditions.

Provo has been working on getting such a system for more than five years, said Mayor Lewis Billings. If city officials get the system they're looking for, known as Multilateration Air Traffic Surveillance, the total cost would be $2 million to $3 million. Otherwise the cost shoots up to at least $7 million.

While airspace is a federal issue, the city has been working hard to get the system, Billings said, and will do what it takes to close the deal.

"We really feel like it's their responsibility," he said, "(but) we're willing to be open-minded."

The system would let Salt Lake controllers see below 8,500 feet in bad weather, allowing Provo flights to get faster approvals for a take off or landing.

$6 million will go toward an 8.7-mile bus rapid transit system in the Provo/Orem area. BRT is "light rail on rubber tires," said Utah Transit Authority spokesman Chad Saley. In many places the buses would have their own lanes and get priority at traffic signals. It's more flexible than a system like TRAX, especially in an emergency.

"It's a bus," Saley said, "You can drive right around any sort of detour."

The system will connect UVSC and BYU, the planned intermodal hubs of Provo and Orem, and the cities' two malls. The environmental work is under way, and construction could begin in a year and a half.

$400,000 will complete the first construction phase of youth and adult recreation facilities at the Pony Express Park in Eagle Mountain. The city hopes the park development unifies the community and serves as an economic magnet. The city will eventually expand the development and build a high school and city hall adjacent to the park.

"Every year we're able to do some of these smaller projects ... that are community driven," said Bennett press secretary Emily Christensen.

U.S. House and Senate conferees, including Bennett, will now meet to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill. After that, it will be sent to the president.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.