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Senate approves design‑build procurement for I‑15 and advances Centennial Highway fund proposal
Summary
Under a committee‑of‑the‑whole, UDOT director Tom Warren told senators design‑build contracting can shorten the I‑15 reconstruction from 2004 to 2001. The Senate, after questions about funding and statewide impacts, passed HB 453 under suspension of rules and referred it back to the House.
The Utah Senate on Feb. 27 took up House Bill 453, a procurement code amendment to permit design‑build contracting for large highway projects, and companion House Bill 458 proposing the Centennial Highway Fund to provide dedicated funding for a major I‑15 reconstruction.
Senator Holmgren led a committee of the whole and called Tom Warren, director of the Utah Department of Transportation, to explain the proposal. Warren told the chamber the legislation ‘‘provides the opportunity for the Department of Transportation to use a process known as design‑build to construct… the I‑15 corridor,’’ allowing design and construction phases to overlap. He said the strategy could deliver the corridor by 2001 rather than 2004, creating both time savings and potential monetary savings. "We believe that not only are there a time saving element here, but there's potential monetary savings," he said.
Senators questioned funding sources, statewide equity and procurement details. Warren said the I‑15 work would be funded from the proposed Centennial Highway Endowment Fund while other projects would continue under the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funded at roughly $150 million annually; he acknowledged the need to ensure the Centennial fund does not crowd out other statewide priorities. On procurement, Warren confirmed the approach would use fewer, larger contracts ("bunching bids") to gain economies of scale rather than many small phased contracts.
Senator Blackham supported the approach as a proven method used elsewhere that could accelerate key projects by years. Senators asked for follow‑up briefings and one‑on‑one meetings with UDOT staff; Warren and his team agreed to be available after the floor session for detailed questions.
Under suspension of the rules and following dissolution of the committee, the Senate read HB 453 for second and third time and recorded a roll‑call passage: 27 ayes, 0 nays, 2 absent. The bill was signed by the president in open session for transmittal back to the House. Sponsors indicated HB 458 (the Centennial Highway Fund) would be addressed next and that funds and project sequencing remain central implementation issues.
