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House approves transportation package authorizing tollways on new capacity and creating jurisdictional-transfer task force
Summary
The House passed first substitute Senate Bill 25, which sets new notice, planning and prioritization requirements for UDOT/Transportation Commission, authorizes tolling on new capacity projects, and establishes a one‑year task force on highway jurisdictional transfers; the bill passed 73–0.
The Utah House on March 2 approved first substitute Senate Bill 25, a five-part transportation measure that changes how the state coordinates development, selects large-capacity projects and handles jurisdictional transfers of roads.
Sponsor Representative Lockhart said the bill requires local governments to notify UDOT and UTA about qualifying land-use developments so the state can be aware of major projects and their effects. It also requires the executive director of UDOT to develop and report strategic initiatives and obliges the Transportation Commission to adopt a written prioritization process and hold public hearings on project selection.
"This authority to make a tollway is only granted for new capacity," Lockhart said, explaining that the bill allows the department and commission to designate newly constructed multi-lane projects as tollways while existing roads would require legislative approval for tolling.
The measure defines state-highway classification criteria, directs UDOT to adopt access-management policies consistent with the classification, and creates a jurisdictional-transfers task force to develop criteria and address funding implications for roads that could move between state and local control. The task force is scheduled to sunset one year after creation.
Members pressed the sponsor on who may authorize tolling and on whether the task force would include the same task force members; Lockhart said the legislation removes earlier direct-transfer language and instead asks the task force to resolve funding and criteria first. Concerns from city and county delegates about funding following transfers were discussed during floor debate.
Voting was open and the House recorded 73 yes votes, 0 no votes; the bill will be signed by the speaker and transmitted to the Senate for the president's signature.
