Utah almost cuts $2.2 billion in road work

Over $2 billion worth of road projects were wiped off the books in the state of Utah on March 12. However, before the week was over those that were slashed made it back into print.

The angry exchange occurred in the Utah House of Representatives, when a group of lawmakers refused to vote in favor of a $20 increase in the vehicle-registration fee. Responding to the move, leaders decided to kill projects in Utah and Salt Lake counties, which were represented by those who were against the tax hike.

The fee increase would generate $53 million, with a portion of that money going towards the I-15 rebuild in Utah County and the Mountain View Corridor construction on the west side of Salt Lake Valley.

When put to a vote, the transportation bill failed miserably by a 63-10 count.

“We just caused the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, and we killed the critical infrastructure for the future,” House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (R-Layton) told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Several lawmakers met after the first vote and reconsidered their stance on the vehicle-registration fee, and the bill did eventually pass.

“We do a lot of compromising up here,” House Speaker Dave Clark (R-Santa Clara) told the Tribune. “Everybody had to give a little at the end of the day.”