The commission met Wednesday in St. George to make official its decisions made Tuesday during a work session. The commission and the Utah Department of Transportation have been developing the list since lawmakers in February passed a bill creating a $1 billion transportation bond fund.

Of the original 19 projects considered Tuesday, two were cut: an $80 million Interstate 15 widening project near Beck Street and a $100 million proposal for a road through the former Geneva Steel property in Vineyard.

UDOT deputy director Carlos Braceras suggested the cuts Tuesday to bring the list price tag, which at first totaled $1.09 billion, to a more conservative $913 million. The I-15 project likely would receive funding from a different pot of transportation money, he said, and a federally required environmental impact study must be done before the Vineyard Connector can be built.

The road, also known as the Eastlake Parkway, instead received a $30 million allocation to pay for the EIS and the land for the highway corridor. Property owner Anderson Development plans to build a residential, retail and commercial project on the 1,800-acre parcel.

House Speaker Greg Curtis, a partner in the law firm that represents Anderson, has been advocating for the road along the east side of Utah Lake since last year. Curtis and other lawmakers pushed for the road while HB314 was being drafted in the final days of the legislative General Session. Regional planners also support the road, and included it on the Mountainland Association of Governments long-range plan approved in May.

Curtis did not immediately return a call Wednesday afternoon seeking comment.

Michael Hutchings, also a partner in Curtis' law firm, has said Anderson needed to know whether the road would get full funding in order to complete development plans the company will present to Vineyard town officials this summer. Hutchings said Anderson doesn't need the seven-lane arterial regional planners requested because the property has good access to I-15.

But not knowing what might be coming puts Anderson in a bad spot. And the time an EIS would take "might be too long," Hutchings said Wednesday evening. "We just do not want to be held in limbo here."

Under HB314, the state will allocate $90 million a year from General Fund taxes to pay for the 18 projects. All are expected to be completed by 2011. A UDOT analysis shows the debt could be repaid by 2021.

The bill also requires the legislative Executive Appropriations Committee to review the list. UDOT officials expect that to happen in July. After that, the public will have a chance to comment on the choices.

Commissioner Stephen Bodily said public comment could prompt re-evaluation of the list.

"We're going to listen to what we're told," he said. "There may be changes down the line."

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