It's a nice list. But there's a problem. There's not enough money to pay for it.
Among others, it calls for rebuilding and widening I-15 in northern Utah County, doing the same for I-80 between State Street and 1300 East, building the Mountain View highway the length of Salt Lake County at about 5600 West, and completing four new TRAX light-rail lines and FrontRunner commuter rail.
But these projects, particularly the highways, will cost billions of dollars, and Utah won't have the scratch unless its people pony up more taxes.
So, the planners have made some assumptions. They believe it is realistic to expect the Legislature to devote a higher percentage of the state's sales tax revenues to transportation than it does now.
If lawmakers devoted all of the sales taxes on automobiles and auto parts to transportation, that would amount to about 17 percent of the general fund.
In the last session of the Legislature, the people's representatives dedicated about 10 percent to transportation.
The planners also assumed that lawmakers would raise the motor fuels tax by 5 cents per gallon in 2016 and another 5 cents in 2026. Obviously, the planners understand that tax increases are not popular in the Legislature, particularly when the state is running budget surpluses.
But there are good reasons to raise the fuels tax sooner.
First, a fuels tax increase would give consumers an added incentive to drive less. That would not only reduce the demand for new highways but it would improve poor air quality, which has become a health-care crisis in Utah.
But, you may say, spikes in fuel costs already punish consumers, and a tax hike would just make that worse. True. But the current state tax of 24.5 cents per gallon has not been increased since 1997, and another nickel would be modest in the overall scheme of price fluctuations.
Besides, it makes sense to ask the people who drive most to contribute most for roads. A fuel tax hike also would be more equitable than tolling just the Mountain View highway, for example.
There are other good ways to raise highway funds. But a gas tax increase now should be part of the mix.
