Show Federal aid for highways comparably low Federal-aid allocations for the interstate highway system in Utah have been relatively low in comparison with the amount of interstate mileage in the This fact was revealed in a highway study prepared by Utah the private governmental research The Foundation study points out that Federal interstate allocations to Utah for the past three years have been based on the original interstate route mileage approved in The addition of new routes since the original which have added 47 to the total planned interstate mileage in the will not be considered in calculating Federal fund allocations until and subsequent As a the Foundation report observes that Utah has completed or placed under contract substantially all highway projects for which Federal funds have been the state still ranks relatively low in the proportion of mileage completed or in the process of on the new interstate The study shows that al though more than 25 of the designated state system throughout the nation had been completed and opened to traffic by March 31 of this Utah completed only seven percent of its designated interstate mileage by that On March Utah had completed only 69 of the miles designated In the state as part of the interstate Other factors that may account In part for lower proportion of mileage according to the are the incorporation into the interstate system of many existing highways and toll roads in other the concentration of interstate construction In the urban areas of where costs arc higher and progress is and delays caused during the early months of the program when the organization and staff of the Utah highway department was Foundation analysts pointed out that the Federal Government exercises extensive control over nearly all phases of state highway activity by virtue of its powers with respect to the Federal-aid These extend even to activities not specifically financed with Federal such as Recent legislation by the 1961 Congress increased highway authorizations in or der to meet the 1972 target date for completion of the interstate According to the Foundation Utah's allocation fo interstate system which was million in fiscal 1962 probably will be increased to about million in 1963 under the new Federal In order to pay for these increased highway Congress increased the Federal taxes and distributions to the Federal highway trust The Foundation report observes that these increases in Federal highway authorizations and Federal highway taxes were necessitated by the 50 hike in the cost estimates for completing the interstate In 1955 it was estimated that the interstate highway system would cost about billion of which billion would represent the Federal Later studies in 1958 and 1961 placed the cost of the interstate system at with billion representing the Federal The Foundation reports that there is rather general agreement concerning the importance of highway there is widespread disagreement as to who should pay the This controversy relates not only to allocations of costs between users and but also to allocations among the various classes of highway According to the in 1925 highway users throughout the nation contributed only 24 of total highway By 1950 the user share had climber to 60 and in 1960 It was 79 of total highway Most of the nonusers share comes from local property tax-ea and transfers from general funds of cities and |