With the Highway Trust Fund set to run out of money on Friday, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is making sure transportation priorities in Utah are included in the final proposal of a long-term infrastructure extension.
Hatch has proposed two amendments specifically for the benefit of Utah. They include the Freeway Access Amendment, which would allow Utah and other states authority to review and approve rural and urban interchange access to the Interstate System; and the Reobligation of Funds Amendment, which would allow funds that have been obligated from a completed project to be reoblgated within the same fiscal year to another project in the same category of funds.
The amendments were included in the proposed DRIVE Act, a six-year highway bill that extends funding for the Highway Trust Fund through Oct. 29.
“In a state growing as quickly as Utah, with an expanding population and even-faster expanding business sector, transportation and infrastructure are crucial investments,” Hatch said. “Regrettably, the federal government has been unreliable at times in providing states the consistent, long-term funding they need to fix our nation’s highways, which has caused serious transportation problems in our state.”
The Senate passed the DRIVE Act today. It is now headed to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
“The DRIVE Act will provide increased funding for our nation’s highways and bridges without raising taxes or increasing the deficit,” Hatch said. “This legislation will give state and local leaders in Utah the certainty and stability they need to secure Utah’s roads and bridges for the families and businesses that use them every day.”
