Leavitt urges $3.6 billion Centennial Highway Fund, welfare and education reforms in 1997 State of the State

SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Michael O. Leavitt told a joint convention of the Utah Legislature that the state must prepare for ‘‘the information age’’ and make major investments this year in transportation, workforce services, education and public safety.

Leavitt opened by asking, "Will Utah be ready for this next century? Yes, we will," and framed his agenda as pragmatic and bipartisan. He proposed a 10‑year Centennial Highway Fund totaling $3.6 billion to rebuild worn and unsafe roads across the state and named reconstruction of I‑15 as the administration's first major project, slated to begin this spring.

The governor said the funding plan should be both affordable and fair. He described recent tax cuts and said "for every dollar in new road taxes that will be necessary, in the last 3 years, we have cut $3 in general taxes," arguing that users should pay more for the roads they use most. Leavitt…