Utah’s Transportation Vision
By LaVarr Webb
Utah currently enjoys a vibrant economy that ideally will continue for many years, providing healthy tax revenues for education and other critical needs. One dark cloud on the economic horizon, however, is a pending transportation crisis that could cripple mobility, slow the delivery of goods and services, and waste the time of commuters traveling to jobs and appointments.
It is somewhat ironic that in an age of telecommuting, videoconferencing and all manner of digital communications, mobility has become even more important. We are a nation and state of travelers. A strong economy fuels increased travel in many ways. The more affluent and prosperous we become, the more cars we have and the more we travel. The number of delivery trucks, large and small, is expected to double in Utah over the next several years. From 1990 to 2010 (projected), the state’s population will grow by 60%; while vehicle miles traveled will grow 100%. Tellingly, in the same period state highway lane miles will increase only 5%. So while highway travel will double, the capacity of state highways will increase only 5%. That enormous disparity cannot continue for long without gridlock setting in.
As many of our political leaders have said, the answer to the looming transportation crisis is not simply more highways. The answer is “smart growth” concepts, along with increased mass transit. Even with that, we will still clearly need significantly more highway capacity. This is not an either-or situation. To cope with the dramatically increased mobility needs of society, and to keep the economy rolling, increased mass transit, smart planning, AND more highway capacity will be needed.
While in some states the transportation situation is so bad as to be overwhelming, in Utah we still control our destiny and we can maintain vital mobility. But it won’t be easy and it will unquestionably require more money than is presently being invested. We have, over the next few years, an unprecedented opportunity to seize control of the problem and resolve it for the next couple of decades, by which time new technologies may be in place to allow us to dramatically increase ridership density on our highways and transit infrastructure.
Luckily, we seem to have in Utah the leadership commitment from all sectors – state government, local governments, business leaders and informed citizens – to do some big thinking and big action over the next few years.
The needs, plans and projections are not being evaluated and developed in any arbitrary fashion. Local governments, through the Wasatch Front Regional Council and Mountainland Association of Governments, have been researching, projecting, and quantifying the growth scenarios, needs and alternatives for a number of years. Individual businesses and various business associations and chambers of commerce have made mobility and transportation among their top priorities. Along with local government leaders, business leaders want to accelerate construction of Utah’s critical transportation projects so they are in use within 10 years, rather than 25 or 30 years. A critical mass of support exists for this fast-track program that must not be squandered.
Funding needs are such that current revenue sources will simply be inadequate. The Legislature is wisely considering innovative financing opportunities, including tolling and private investment in critical infrastructure through public/private partnerships. Utah has also been very successful in obtaining significant federal support for the state’s transportation needs.
Even with all of that, a large funding gap exists. No realistic scenario exists to keep up with the demands of the traveling public without some combination of revenue boosts. A variety of revenue enhancements have been studied to increase funding for transportation infrastructure, and the coming Legislature will face those issues.
Imagine the day in the not-so-distant future when 90% of the citizens of Salt Lake County, for example, will live within one mile of a major mass transit stop or station (light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, etc.), when the light rail and commuter rails spurs and extensions are built out to West Jordan, South Jordan, Draper, West Valley City, south Davis County, and the airport. Imagine a completed Legacy Parkway through Davis County and a new Mountain View Corridor through the west side of Salt Lake County. Imagine Utah County’s immense traffic jam-ups on I-15 being resolved.
It is a compelling vision, a legacy for our children and grandchildren, that transportation officials are prepared to fulfill over the next several years. But it will take courageous political leadership to turn the vision into reality.
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