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ong>Extra money means sweeping changes for local road projects

Top of Utah officials and transportation leaders are hoping a pile of money provided by the Legislature to the Utah Department of Transportation will speed the completion of area road projects.

UDOT will have more than $1.4 billion to spend this year starting July 1 because of a record budget allotment provided by legislators.

That boils down to $100 million more than last year.

"This represents a significant investment by the Legislature and the governor," said Carlos Braceras, UDOT deputy director.

What projects the money will fund remains to be seen, said Nile Easton, UDOT spokesman. Potential projects will be prioritized by UDOT and the Utah Transportation Commission. The two entities will meet in April; a list could be available by May, Braceras said.

"There are definitely some needs in Davis County that should be addressed in the process," Easton said.

State Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, said some of the Davis County projects he sees a need for are widening Interstate 15 from Farmington to northern Davis County and working on east/west arterials in the northern part of the county.

He's also advocating money be used on State Road 108 in western Davis and Weber counties.

"That's going to be a pretty important road for that western part of Davis County until Northern Legacy comes

up our way," he said.

Layton Mayor Steve Curtis hopes some of the additional money will help a freeway interchange at the south end of his city come to fruition sooner.

"We need another interchange in Layton just to alleviate the congestion on the interchanges we already have in the city," he said.

The interchange would replace an overpass going from Layton to Kaysville, Curtis said.

Bountiful Mayor Joe Johnson said transportation issues affect the area on a countywide basis.

"We've all grown up and grown together," he said of Davis County cities.

Johnson also believes east/west roadways need to be addressed. "I think we're really getting in serious trouble with the east/west flow."

Weber County Commissioner Craig Dearden said he'd like to see projects on Riverdale Road and S.R. 108 be started sooner.

"If we got those two going, we'd be pretty happy," he said.

Although specific projects haven't been decided, money has been dedicated to specific uses.

For instance, $240 million is going toward paying off the bond for the Centennial Highway Fund. The Legacy Highway, the New Ogden Weber expansion project and other large road projects are paid for with that fund.

The Legislature has also dedicated $30 million for corridor preservation, Braceras said.

"We would certainly advocate for corridor preservation of North Legacy," said Sam Klemm, spokesman for the Wasatch Front Regional Council.

In addition to the extra $100 million in extra one-time money, the Legislature will provide $100 million per year for 10 years, Easton said.

The additional money will help push projects forward and preserve corridors, Braceras said.

"This is a great step."

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