KIMBERLY JAHNKE - STANDARD-EXAMINER | Posted: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 11:00 pm
The House easily passed a controversial bill Wednesday, paving the way for toll roads in Utah.
Under the bill, private investors could propose, build and operate toll roads with approval of the Utah Department of Transportation. The state would maintain ownership of the roads but lease them to the investors.
Supporters said the bill is needed to combat the state's $16 billion deficit in road funding. Private investors will allow roads to get built sooner -- sometimes a difference of decades.
The bill has been suggested as a solution to the Mountain View Corridor, a proposed alternate north-south route in the west end of the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County.
But residents there don't want a toll road, said Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns. Already funding transportation projects through the gas tax, the residents shouldn't have to pay twice for a road the state promised, he said.
"Don't ask the people in my district to fund improvements in your district simply because you don't want to raise the gas tax," he said.
The northern stretch of Legacy Parkway, from Farmington through Weber County, also has been identified as a potential toll road. Tolls collected would be split between the operators of the road and a restricted fund to pay for maintenance.
The bill was sent to the governor for his signature.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A7.