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Show i Interstate Highway Construction jEnters Acceleration Period in Utah Utah's schedule of Interstate highway construction, running behind most of the other states sta-tes in miles completed to date, may be entering a period of rapid acceleration, according to a research report Issued ; this week by Utah Foundation. ectly connected with tourist development. "It appears certain that Utahns will have to make a basic policy decision as to how much they want to spend for roads primarily designed for tourist and recreational attractions," at-tractions," the Foundation report re-port notes. "The Highway De-partment De-partment must establish priorities pri-orities among the projects now lumped together as "unmet "un-met needs'." Utah highway officials predict pre-dict that a proposal for a one-cent-a-gallon increase in the motor fuel tax will be brought before the 1969 Legislature. As of Jan. 1, 19G8, Utah will be one of eleven states with a rate of 6 cents a gallon. Only On-ly three states will impose lower rates, and 37 states will collect higher rates. Twenty-seven Twenty-seven states will impose taxes of 7 cents a gallon, and the rates in five states will be higher. Nine states acted in 1967 to Increase motor fuel taxes. 1 While only a little more Jthan one-fourth of Utah's Interstate In-terstate mileage is now open tXo traffic, construction yet to (be undertaken will cost only jabout half as much per mile (as construction already com-(pleted com-(pleted or under way, it is noted by the Foundation, a private, non-profit research agency. In contrast to Utah's situation, many of the states with high percentages of their interstate mileage now open to traffic are facing construction construc-tion which will entail" a per-mile per-mile cost four to five or more times as high as that already lundertaken. j According to figures published pub-lished by the U. S. Bureau of ,Roads, 41,000-mile Interstate System was 58 percent open to traffic as of March 31, 1967. Utah, with only 27 percent of Its Interstate mileage open, trailed all of the states except ex-cept Hawaii (22 percent), and "led" all of the states in the "The approaching policy decisions de-cisions on how to cut the pattern pat-tern of road development to fit the revenue cloth are of serious and lasting concern to the entire state," the Foundation Founda-tion report concludes. number (23G) and percent (27 percent) of miles yet to be undertaken. "The Utah situation, although al-though criticized from many sources, including some within with-in the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, may not be as bad as these bald figures make it appear," ap-pear," the Foundation report points out "There are a number num-ber of special circumstances to be takei, into account" As most significant of these "special" factors the Foundation Founda-tion cites Utah's considered policy of constructing the most difficult and expensive segments seg-ments of its Interstate construction con-struction first. These segments are mostly located on the Wasatch Front in highly urbanized areas and carry heavy loads of traffic in and between Utah's larger citieo sa well as interstate travel. As a result, the Foundation report points out, the per-mile cost of future Interstate construction con-struction in Utah is expected to be only about half (517r) of the per-mile cost of construction construc-tion already undertaken. Per-mile cost of future Interstate Inter-state construction in Maryland Mary-land is estimated to be 5.6 times that already undertaken. New York's ratio will be 4.7, Connecticut's 4.3, and Oregon's 4.1 times greater cost per mile for future construction, indicating that the most costly and difficult construction in these states has been deferred defer-red until the later years of the program. Connecticut (88r), Oregon (86r), and New York f80) lead all of the states In the percentage of Interstate miles ooen to traffic. Maryland Mary-land had 75r of its Interstate , mileage open as of March 31. 1 Estimates of "needs" for Utah's entire highway-build-, ing program have gone up ' sharply in the rjast two vears. and the Utah State Highway Denartrripnt now forecasts a "deficit" of unmet needs In excess ex-cess of proiected revenues from presently available sources of 5102 million over, the nexr seven years. Mticti of . the "deficit" is for roads dir- |