West-side commuters will have a hard time forgetting former Gov. Norm Bangerter. The Legislature Friday unanimously approved SCR13, a resolution designating what has been known as the West Valley Highway as the Norman H. Bangerter Highway.
"I just hope if you name it the Bangerter Highway that you keep the potholes fixed," Bangerter quipped in addressing the state Senate. "And finish it," he added. The state has spent more than $60 million constructing the west-side artery, which someday may be con-nected to I-15 near the Point of the Mountain.Both the House and Senate honored Bangerter for his leadership and foresight on the highway project, which is credited for alleviating serious traffic congestion on the west side of the valley.
Friday's vote also illustrated the political gamesmanship being played by some House Republicans. On Wednesday the House passed HJR8, a resolution sponsored by Minority Whip Kelly Atkinson, D-West Jordan, that also designated the highway as the Norman H. Bangerter Highway. But 21 representatives voted against the Democratic bill, 20 of them Republicans.
After Atkinson's resolution was passed over to the Senate, Gov. Mike Leavitt asked to jump on the bandwagon. But Atkinson's bill was a joint resolution of the House and Senate, and for Leavitt to sign on to the measure it had to be re-introduced as a "concurrent" resolution.
The new resolution, this time sponsored by Senate President Arnold Christensen, R-Sandy, was passed unanimously by the Senate, after which all 29 senators signed on as co-sponsors. It then went back to the House where this time the measure passed unanimously.
"Pride of authorship was not important to me," Atkinson said. "Honoring (former) Governor (Norm) Bangerter was."