If Utah gets even a fraction of the billions it has requested from a federal stimulus package being considered, there are a number of projects in Davis County which would get priority treatment.
Utah leads the nation in its request for $11 billion to fund road projects statewide, as part of a corridor infrastructure stimulus package being considered on the federal level. Texas came in second, with $6 billion in requests, but the package is for $130 billion. Congress must give the OK for such a package, and there’s no guarantee lawmakers will go for the whole package, or even a portion. “The probability of it passing is fairly suspect,” Utah Transportation Commission chair and Layton resident Stuart Adams said last week.
He said even if the package does pass, Utah won’t likely receive the requested $11 billion. “We’re putting it (the request) out there to show what we could do,” he said.
Among Davis County projects which may be among the first to get under way would be the Layton interchange, the 500 South project to I-15, and work on Highway 89 through Centerville, Adams said.
Environmental studies have been done on all these projects and work could begin almost immediately, And that could help the approval process for at least some of the roads.
Adams said the north Legacy project may receive some funding from it down the road, but more preliminary work needs to be done before construction could begin.
The Utah Department of Transportation put more than 50 road projects on hold last month because of the flagging economy.
Adams said the state is in a good position to proceed with a number of projects statewide should the stimulus package be approved, because the state Legislature has funded transportation projects in the past. Even so, Adams said, “I don’t think it will be like Christmas.”
He said in the past, the fact we haven’t been able to get road projects, such as the Legacy Parkway, done in a timely manner, has hurt the state’s economy and residents’ quality of life. “Our goal is not to let that happen again.”
At the same time, he can see the stimulus package helping the state’s economy.
“There’s no question an infusion of money would have a magnifying effect on the economy. It would provide far more jobs than just the contractors hired to do the projects, but would have a larger effect on businesses throughout the state.
Right now, he said, contractors are in a quandary over whether to lay off their employees or keep them in hopes the stimulus package comes through. “They don’t know whether to try and hang on or cut their losses.”
Raising the tax on gasoline could help get road projects on track again, Adams said. “Most people see it as a tax increase, but in reality it’s a cost-of-living adjustment.”
Adams explained there’s no inflationary element to the gas tax. “If you buy a loaf of bread for $1 today, and $2 tomorrow, there is a 6 percent sales tax applied to it, and you pay 6 percent on the $1 or $2. But gasoline is taxed at a flat 24.5 cents a gallon. Because there’s no inflationary element to it, it needs to be adjusted occasionally,” Adams said, and the last time it was adjusted was in 1998.
He added with gas prices so low, “this is the best time to do it.”
mwilliams@davisclipper.com