Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate approves change to billboard relocation rules to cut DOT costs, sponsors say
Summary
Fourth substitute House Bill 198 was passed by the Senate. Sponsors said the bill allows billboards moved because of road widening to be relocated only in commercial, industrial, and manufacturing zones, saving Utah Department of Transportation money and speeding highway projects.
The Utah Senate passed fourth substitute House Bill 198, a bill that changes how billboards displaced by highway widening projects may be relocated.
Senator Johnson, sponsor of the bill on the floor, described the measure as "highly negotiated" and said it will "save UDOT, Utah taxpayers tens of millions of dollars." The substitute restricts relocation of displaced billboards to commercial, industrial, and manufacturing zones and does not change existing digital-billboard regulations held by state or local entities.
The sponsor said the language had been crafted in consultation with the League of Cities, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and the outdoor advertising industry. He said the change would allow UDOT to move road projects forward more rapidly and at lower cost because fewer billboard relocations would require costly mitigation or placement in more constrained locations.
After a roll-call vote the clerk announced the result: fourth substitute House Bill 198 "having received 25 yay votes, 1 nay vote, 3 being absent, passes the senate, will be signed by the president pro tem and sent to the house for the signature of the speaker." The sponsor said the bill was "carefully contemplated" and negotiated.
Ending: The bill passed the Senate and will be returned to the House for the next steps in the legislative process.
