I 1: Transportation Networks
TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS WILL BE SAFE, EFFICIENT, AND WELL-MAINTAINED Other Information:
Take Care of What We Have Utah has adopted a proactive strategy to protect the significant investment made in our roadways
and bridges. Just as regular maintenance must be performed on a car to ensure that it runs well, regular preventive maintenance
must be performed on our highways. A proactive maintenance program extends the life of the highways, saves money, and improves
the condition and performance of the roadways. Utah's philosophy and experience suggests that it costs less to keep good roads
in good condition than it does to fix bad roads. In 2001, 88% of Utah's interstate highways were in fair or better condition.
Meeting this standard in 2001 were 74% of arterials and 56% of collectors. Make it Work Better As travel on our roadways continues
to increase, there are things we can do to make the transportation system work more efficiently, mitigating the impact and
growth of traffic congestion. The two primary tools used to optimize the system are Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
and Access Management. Utah's ITS, called CommuterLink, uses real-time technologies to detect, respond, and coordinate information
so we can make better travel decisions. Elements of CommuterLink include better traffic signal coordination, message signs
to warn motorists of traffic problems, and cameras to monitor traffic flow and identify problems as soon as they arise. Utah's
ITS has increased travel speeds on the freeways 19.5% during peak hours and reduced traffic delays at intersections by 30%.
Access Management, another important tool to make the transportation system work better, is an effort to maintain the smooth
flow of traffic while still providing access to land and businesses adjacent to the state roadways. Access management is an
important tool to reduce congestion and accidents, keep traffic flowing smoothly, and preserve road capacity, thereby postponing
the need for costly roadway widening. By addressing the challenge of making the system work better, the effects of the substantial
growth in vehicle miles traveled have been mitigated. If not for the ongoing efforts of the Department of Transportation and
its partners, it is likely that the travel time index would have increased at a greater rate over the last decade. Increase
Capacity As Utah's population continues to grow over the next 20 years, travel is expected to increase another 50%, and continutes
to outpace population growth. To accommodate this growth, we must continue adding capacity to the system, including adding
highway lanes or building new roads. Utah will also continue to coordinate and partner with local transit authorities as bus
and rail systems are expanded. Currently, there are 15,046 miles of road in the state system. We expect to add another 46
miles in 2003, 115 miles in 2004, and 196 miles in 2005. An additional 76 miles are in concept development and will be added
after 2005. Keep it Safe The Department will continue to track the rates of traffic accidents and fatalities. We are also
actively supporting the Federal Highway Administration 's long-term goal, for FY 2008, which seeks to reduce traffic accidents
per million miles traveled from 2.54 in 1998 to 2.0 in 2008. Looking Ahead: Demand for transportation will continue to exceed
the State's ability to build new facilities. State Highway mileage grew by only 1.5% in the last decade, while the population
increased by 30% and Vehicle Miles Traveled grew at a staggering 54% rate. This ongoing trend will produce increased congestion,
increased user costs, impact economic growth and productivity, and result in a faster deterioration of highways.
Indicator(s):
|
