Gov. Cox says Utah must widen I-15, but Olympic bid could push transit expansion 

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• Laura Seitz | Pool Photo
• Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks to reporters at PBS Utah on Thursday, Oct. 19.

UNIVERSITY—The cost of widening Interstate 15 between Salt Lake City and Farmington is now projected to be almost $4 billion, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox showed no sign of sticker shock on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters during his monthly televised press conference at PBS Utah, Cox said the state is working hard to reduce emissions and pollution, but ensuring a smooth drive for suburban commuters remains a top priority.

“We have to be able to get from one place to another,” Cox said. “We know we have to do this [expansion] project. It matches up with other projects. It's been planned for a long time.”

While it is obvious that Utahns could still travel with an un-expanded freeway—as evidenced by the thousands of drivers currently doing just that every day—Cox’s comment presumably referred to traffic congestion that the Utah Department of Transportation believes will choke the interstate without additional lanes as the state’s population increases. But even that is a dubious argument, as states with much larger populations get by with a combination of narrower roadways and robust public transit, and as the well-documented phenomenon known as “Induced Demand” suggests that widening freeways makes traffic congestion worse, not better.

Cox has previously stated that Utah cannot perpetually expand its highways, a sentiment he reiterated on Thursday. But in addition to widening I-15, UDOT’s long-term plans include expansions on Bangerter, I-80, Foothill Drive, Wasatch Blvd, Redwood Road and virtually every other state-owned roadway, statewide.

That the state can even spend $4 billion on I-15 without the governor breaking a sweat is indicative of UDOT's massive coffers, annually refilled—and then some—by Utah lawmakers. Transit services, by comparison, receive only a fraction of UDOT's state support, leaving agencies like the Utah Transit Authority reliant on city and county tax collections and federal grants, with nearly its entire annual budget consumed by operations and maintenance and with little left over for investment and expansion.

Wasatch Front communities have taken steps in recent years to improve public transportation service, and state leaders increasingly speak of a need to make transit—and particularly the Frontrunner regional rail line—competitive with the private automobile. The construction of Frontrunner and Salt Lake County's Trax light rail was triggered by the 2002 Olympics, and Cox said Thursday that a successful bid for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games could similarly prompt a new round of transit investments.

"I’m hopeful that, as it did in 2002, an Olympic award can set a mark to help us work toward," Cox said, "... to give us some clarity on where we need to go with additional mass transit projects—expanding into Utah County, getting some of those last-mile services available. Those are things that I think are really important transportation pieces as well."

Later, on the topic of population and economic growth, Cox said that every city in Utah will need to play a role in building additional housing units, including allowing density in strategic areas and speeding up the permitting and review process.

"You're not unique and you're not different. You have to find more [housing] supply and you have to do it quicker," Cox said of bedroom communities that have typically shunned multi-family development. "We have to have some density in the right areas; that’s the only way that our kids and grandkids are going to be able to live here."

Cox was also asked about the developing scandal surrounding Tim Ballard, founder of the anti-sex trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad. Ballard has long been affiliated with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, and Cox said he is confident that attorneys in Reyes' office can conduct a fair and impartial investigation of any alleged crimes.

"Every attorney general has lots of friends, and every once in a while their friends get investigated by the Attorney General’s Office," Cox said. "I don’t think it would be fair to malign the ability of dozens—hundreds—of attorneys in the AG’s office who do this work."

Asked about the warfare erupting in Gaza, Cox said his heart is broken for both Israelis and Palestinians and that while the conflict is rooted in deeply difficult issues, he has "zero empathy" for Hamas.

"Hamas is bad for Palestinians. Hamas is evil," Cox said. "We want peace and we want Palestinian [refugees and immigrants] to feel at home in Utah."