Show Highway Funds Should be Available in Utah From Current Revenues for Next Few Years Utah should have sufficient re reVenue revenue revenue re- re venue from present highway user taxes to finance its Us principal road needs during the next five years providing no changes are made in highway revenue laws This was the major conclusion reached by Utah Foundation in its recent study of highway finance problems problems pro pro- In Utah The Foundation warns however however how how- ever that If off highway refunds refund or other diversions of present highway revenues are arc provided by the next session of the Utah Legislature the rev revenue nue loss would In a material reduction reduction reduce tion or even complete elimination elimination elimination elimina elimina- tion of f work on those state slate road projects for which Utah receives no Federal aid ald For the most part these state non Federal Bid aid roads serve the less less less-fre- fre frequently traveled rural areas of the State According to the Foundations Foundation's report more than 38 billion in Federal aid will be distributed to the states for highway Improvement Improvement Improve Improve- ment work during the year 16 period 1957 through 1972 Of this amount Foundation analysts analysts anal anal- estimate te that Utah will receive receive receive re re- re- re about million in Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral aid for Improvement of the states state's highways The report points out however that highway users in Utah will contribute at least million and possibly as much as million of this amount in do Federal user highway taxes during this 16 year period Ap Approximately million of this amount will go Igo into the Federal Highway Trust Fund to be used to finance he Federal highway grant program program program pro pro- gram while between 71 million and million will go Into the Federal treasury for general governmental governmental governmental gov gov- purposes Foundation officials report that the most significant aspects of the 1956 Federal highway legislation legislation legi legs station Is the huge sums allocated allo lo Gated for the construction and Improvement of a II 4 mlle mite interstate highway system In the nation During the next 13 years expenditures totaling 25 billion billion bil bile lion In Federal funds almost 2 billion per year were authorized for this system prior to 1954 25 million per year was allocated allo Gated In 1954 and 1955 and million was apportioned in 1956 The report notes that the Federal Fed Fea- eral government has adopted a modified earmarking concept In connection with its role In the new highway improvement program A portion of th the Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral taxes collected from highway highway high high- way users are placed In a II Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral Highway Trust Fund All highway grants to states are made from this fund According to present Federal law if the resources of this Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral Trust Fund are not sufficient sufficient dent to meet established commItments commitments com come the grants to states must be scaled down accordingly The Foundation study observes that dt now appears that tentative tentative tentative tenta tenta- tive Federal authorizations for 1960 and several subsequent years must be reduced by about abou third one-third unless further action Is taken by the U. U S. S Congress between now and then Utah Foundation notes that total highway Improvement re requirements requirements re re- In Utah have been estimated by highway officiate officials at more than million based on 00 the latest official study of Utah highway needs This amount includes million in local road needs million in tabulated tabulated ed state highway needs and approximately approximately ap ape proximately million in added added add add- ed costs for several recent additions additions additions ad ad- to the proposed Interstate Interstate interstate inter Inter- state highway system in do Utah I |