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Show Aide Urges Continuance Of Present Highway Fund Utah Director of Transportation, Blaine J. Kay, has urged Utah's congressional delegation to maintain federal highway aid at the highest level current taxes will permit and to retain the Highway Trust Fund. In idler sent to Sea Frank E. Moss, Sen. E. J. Gam. Rep. Gunn McKay and Rep. Allan T. Howe. Mr. Kay expressed concern over the Ford Administration's proposals now being considered for the Federal-aid Highway Act of 1975. which he said "will determine to a large extent the nature of Utah's future highway program." Mr. Kay said the bill proposed by the administration would cause a significant reduction of highway funds for Utah because it would reduce funding for non-interstate highway programs. The reduction WUTT 8ver" 1976 would be $11.3 million, and this figure does not include losses which would result through the abolition of the Federal Lands Highway Fund," he said. Mr. Kay estimated that, based on a cost of $300,000 per mile for primary highways and $200,000 per mile for secondary roads, it would take over 110 years to reconstruct the state's rural Federal-aid Highway System using the $10.2 million per year In rural funds provided under the Administration's proposed 1975 Federal-aid Highway Act. "Had this situation prevailed over the last century, we would only now be reconstructing the roads built by the pioneers In the first few decades after their arrival in 1847," he said. Mr. Kay added that the administration's proposed funding level of $4.4 million per year for all urbanized areas of the state would limit construction to not more than two or three projects a year, equivalent to about two or three miles of construction. In urging that the Highway Trust Fund be maintained, Mr. Kay pointed out that if some highway user revenue is deposited in the general fund, and appropriations are made from that fund, as proposed by the Administration, there is a possibility that funds would be made available to states on a project-by-project discretionary basis, rather than the current formula basis. "Highway projects In Utah would likely have a hard time competing with projects In heaveily populated states, and Utah's relative share of the total funds could be decreased even further," he said. Because of the increased cost of highway materials, a slackening in the growth rate of highway revenue, and increased lane miles added by the construction of the Interstate System, Mr. Kay said many states have found that all of their fiscal resources will be exhausted in maintaining existing highways at their current standards, and virtually no revenue will be available for constructing new highways or matching federal aid. He said that since maintenance is the top priority for state and local funds, Congress should ease the maintenance load on states by eliminating the state matching funds required for federal-aid, and permit slates to use all of their local revenue for maintenance. Mr. Kay also said the federal definition of the term "construction" should be modified to include the restoration and rehabilitation of existing highways so that federal funds may be used for those purposes. He pointed out that, currently, the geometric standards or capacity of the roadway have to be increased In order for a hlgh. way project to be eligible for federal funds. He said federal funds can not be used to replace worn-out elements of the road, unless the road Is brought to full standard for anticipated traffic 20 years In the future. However, Mr. Kay said it is generally more economical to resurface worn existing roads than to totally reconstruct them to a 20-year standard, If they are adequate or near adequate for existing or short term future traffic. "As long as resurfacing remains ineligible for federal funds, even a resurfacing program Is beyond Utah's resources," he said. |