Pub. 3 2020-21 Issue 2

31 Aviation: C Utah has an aviation infrastructure that includes 36 public use airports for general and commercial aviation, but 98% of the state’s passengers get on a plane at the Salt Lake City International Airport. Five airports offer commercial air service, and two airports offer commercial air service but are non- primary airports. Daily air traffic is less than 10 planes per day at most airports. Aviation makes money. It supports businesses and tourists. Since the airports were originally built, however, security needs and earthquake safety standards have both changed. The Salt Lake City International Airport is undergoing the Airport Redevelopment Program; the $4 billion program began in July 2014 and is scheduled for completion in 2024. St. George Municipal Airport just finished removing and reconstructing the main runway. The runway is now back in service. Provo has upgraded terminal facilities, but the Provo Municipal Master plan needs updating. Ogden Hinckley Municipal Airport is developing a master plan. Ogden released a final draft in March 2020. Old, outdated hangers need to be removed and replaced, but the runway pavement is in good condition, and the taxiways and aprons are in good to poor conditions. Most money for airport improvements comes from the federal government. To raise the grade, Utah needs to: • maintain or improve service levels • monitor performance metrics as a guide to future planning • find a way to give regional airports the funding they need • find new revenue streams to modernize airports and increase their capacity • reduce runway incidents through training Bridges: B+ Utah has more than 3,000 highway bridges. They are a critical part of Utah’s surface transportation systems. In 2016, funding for bridges was $26.5 million; in 2018-2020, it was $48 million annually. The money has made a big difference, but Utah’s bridges generally have a 50-year design life, and one out of three is older than that. Replacing them will cost about $1.9 billion, and repair costs will be about $1.3 billion. In the next 10 years, another 450 bridges will be 50 years old. The replacement cost will be about $900 million, and the repair cost will be about $600 million. A growing population will need 30-40 new bridges per year to meet Utah’s expected growth of 20% over the next 10 years. Money for bridges comes from federal, state and local sources. To raise the grade, Utah needs to: • continue putting money into its bridges and supporting innovative solutions to transportation challenges • balance the need for repairs and replacement with new construction When it comes to this kind of innovation, Utah is on the leading edge. We need to stay there. Canals: D Utah has 5,300-8,000 miles of canals, mostly consisting of earthen embankments and cut ditches. In their day, more than 100 years ago, they were engineering marvels that protected fields from flooding and helped Utah grow and prosper. Today, flooding is less likely to affect fields and more likely to affect cities, public infrastructure, and developments. Regulation is very limited, even though cities have grown and the need for water rights management has increased. There are more than 1,140 canal companies and 200 private owners who currently self-regulate the entire system. Funds and resources have decreased as the canals have transitioned away from agricultural uses. What used to work for getting water to farms now has to work as part of flood management, which is much more complicated than the canals were originally intended. Liability has also increased. continued on page 32