This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
SOUTH JORDAN - This west-side city sent a message Tuesday to the Legislature and any other transportation officials who might be listening: Don't charge tolls along the planned Mountain View Corridor.
In a unanimous vote, the South Jordan City Council approved a resolution urging legislators to find other means to fund the $2.1 billion highway planned to run through the Salt Lake Valley near 5800 West. The resolution also states that the city strongly supports construction of the road.
"What our council wanted to do was speak in unison on our feelings toward the Mountain View Corridor," Mayor Kent Money said in an interview. "We all happen to agree that it should not be tolled."
Money, along with mayors from West Jordan, Taylorsville and Herriman, has been one of the more vocal opponents of placing Utah's first toll road on Salt Lake County's west side. South Jordan's City Council may have been the first council in the valley to officially condemn a toll, which the Utah Department of Transportation is studying as a potential way to help fund the road.
"The problem with [tolling] is I don't think . . . that people are going to use" the highway, and arterial roads will become even more clogged, Money said. "For the most part, you're putting that burden [of a toll] on families who are probably least able to afford it" because many west-side residents are first-time home buyers and lower-income families.
Teri Newell, UDOT's project manager for the new highway, acknowledged that traffic on the road will decrease as a result of tolling, but said a toll road would still relieve much of the projected congestion in the area.
"We've always understood that South Jordan has some concerns about tolling," Newell said in an interview. "I don't think anyone is going to ask to have their [road] tolled. But the problem that we're facing is we don't have enough transportation funding to build everything that needs to be done."
In fact, UDOT projects a $20.5 billion funding shortfall for road projects through 2030 if only current sources are used. If Mountain View Corridor is built as a toll road, the Legislature would still have to find funding for about one-third of the project cost because tolls would not be enough, Newell said.
"UDOT isn't taking a position on [tolling]. We just haven't seen anything else come up as a way to fund the project."
The decision to toll rests with the Utah Transportation Commission, a governor-appointed panel that prioritizes projects and determines funding. It could sign off on tolling as soon as next fall - but Money believes the matter will ultimately be decided by the Legislature, which can raise taxes to boost transportation funding. At Tuesday's City Council meeting he suggested that the state's budget surplus be funneled to transportation.
"One hundred million dollars would be a good down payment" on the Mountain View Corridor, Money said.
"What our council wanted to do was speak in unison on our feelings toward the Mountain View Corridor. We all happen to agree that it should not be tolled."
KENT MONEY
South Jordan mayor