Accomplishments – Utah Transportation Coalition

Utah’s Most Comprehensive Transportation Funding Legislation in State History

With the collaboration of dozens of public and private sector partners the Utah Transportation Coalition led the successful passage of House Bill 362, Transportation Infrastructure Funding, a comprehensive approach to addressing part of the funding shortfall identified in Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan.

The bill reforms the state’s previous motor-fuel tax of 24.5 cents-per-gallon to a 12% sales tax on the statewide average rack price of fuel with a floor set at $2.45 a gallon and a fixed ceiling of $3.33 a gallon. The bill also addresses local aspects of transportation by providing local governments the freedom to address transportation needs in their communities with a local option sales tax measure. With voter approval, counties can enact a quarter of a cent (one-cent for every $4 dollars) sales tax for local transportation needs.

Salt Lake City International Airport Terminal Redevelopment Project

The Salt Lake City International Airport is an extraordinary asset to the Utah economy. It’s convenient location, aided by first class infrastructure, makes this airport an integral part of our community. In 2014 the Salt Lake City International Airport served more than 22 million passengers, which is more than double its design capacity. It is the first impression of our state and an incredibly important component to our economy and way of life.

The now $2.6 billion airport expansion project is among the most significant economic events that will occur in Utah over the next decade. The Utah Transportation Coalition has worked tirelessly to support the Salt Lake City International Airport’s Terminal Redevelopment Project. Led by the fiscally responsible leadership of Salt Lake City and a commitment from private-sector partners such as Delta, there will be no tax increase to pay for a new state-of-the-art terminal. The funding will come primarily from savings, gate and rental car fees, concession revenue and grants.

Most recently, the Utah Transportation Coalition has been working with stakeholders to ensure that the vision of a multimodal terminal is fully realized.

Mountain Accord – Phase One

The Central Wasatch mountains are beloved by those of us who live along both sides of its ridge line. Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the union in no small part because of the quality of life these mountains provide. The future promises more traffic congestion on canyon roads and continued reliance on private automobiles is unsustainable.

In 2015, the Utah Transportation Coalition helped with a monumental achievement of collaboration through the signing of the Mountain Accord, a historic agreement 30 years in the making. The Accord was signed by Governor Gary Herbert and Salt Lake Chamber President and CEO Lane Beattie on behalf of the Salt Lake Chamber and Utah Transportation Coalition in the shadows of the Cottonwood Canyons.

This unprecedented collaboration of diverse groups seeks to create a collaborative solution for the future of the Central Wasatch. This on-going work has led us to the Mountain Accord Blueprint, a proposal that examined each area in detail and proposed suggestions and possibilities for the future use of this important area.

Mountain Accord will enter Phase 2, which includes significant research into each recommendation, continued public feedback and the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the required NEPA, National Environmental Policy Act, process.

The Utah Transportation Coalition has been a key stakeholder in advancing the Mountain Accord effort to explore transportation options in the Central Wasatch Mountains that increase accessibility, are a net-positive for the environment, encourage transit, enhance Utah’s global brand and pass a rigorous environmental and local public process.

The Local Option

During the 2015 election cycle voters in 10 counties (Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Grand, Rich, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele and Weber) chose to invest in their local transportation by passing the local option sales tax. In total the transportation sales tax has generated $27,476,582 statewide for counties, cities and transit entities.

Maintaining Momentum

While these accomplishments are critical, we continue to advance all our objectives and provide a needed voice on transportation issues across the state. We must maintain this momentum with continued investment in our state’s multimodal transportation network, as identified in Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan, and other key strategic investments to address capacity expansion, maintenance and operations of our state’s significant transportation assets.

The future of Utah’s transportation system is not a sprint, but instead a marathon. We will continue to focus on our priority of achieving an efficient, well-rounded transportation system. We will continue to advocate for sustainable transportation alongside the hundreds of businesses, city councils, mayors, chambers of commerce and other partners throughout Utah who share our vision. We encourage you to join the Coalition and support our mission to make smart and sustainable transportation choices and to secure adequate, stable and long term funding to support economic growth and a high quality of life for all Utahns.