Utah gets a "solid B" grade while ranking among the top 20 states for cost-effective use of highway dollars.
A survey released by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte averaged several factors to arrive at a "taxpayer's view" of how well highway funds are spent, said David T. Hartgen, a professor of transportation.The most cost-efficient transportation departments are in North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Arkansas and Nebraska. The least efficient are in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut and California.
Utah dropped in its efficiency ranking one spot from last year. In 1987, Utah was ranked the sixth most efficient state.
Most alarming in the study was the large increases in administrative budgets in many states including Utah. Hartgen found that UDOT's administrative budget grew by 92 percent from 1990 to 1992. Nationally, administrative budgets grew by 121 percent over the same period, Hartgen said.
"Our findings should be a red flag to highway agencies. Administrative costs must be contained if the public's trust is to be continued," he said.
For Kim Morris, UDOT spokesman, the numbers show that Utah was increasing less than other agencies, but he suggested that Hartgen may have misread the reasons for the increases. Morris said the increasing number of federal requirements have resulted in more administrative costs.
The study showed that Utah Department of Transportation had an above average percent of its budget - 9.2 - going to administrative costs. The average is 8.9 percent
Most neighboring states spent much less on administrative overhead than did Utah. For example, Colorado spent the lowest percent - just under 3 percent - for administration. Idaho spent more than Utah, with over 13 percent of its budget going to administration. At the other end of the spectrum, New Hampshire spent the largest part of its budget - almost 19 percent - for administration.
"These are great studies, but you don't know how the validity ranks. It is hard to quantify administrative costs," Morris said noting that some states could put executive salaries in the administrative budget, others may not.
The study showed that Utah stretches highway dollars farther than many other states. Utah receives $50,560 for every mile of road on its state-wide road system. The national average is $64,909. The state was near the national average for expenditures on maintenance projects.
In another analysis, Hartgen said the he would raise "red flags" about the conditions of bridges and rural freeways in Utah.
He said that the while Utah bridge condition has been among the best in the nation, there has been a big jump among bridges in "poor condition." There is also a large increase in "poor condition" ratings on rural freeways.
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Additional Information
Utah's urban freeways among most congested
While it won't come to much surprise to Wasatch Front drivers, Utah's urban freeways are among the most congested in the nation.
According to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte study, 67 percent of the Beehive State's urban freeways are classified as congested. That's right behind high congestion rates in Maryland, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina and New Jersey.
The lowest congestion rates - 0 - are in the wide open spaces of Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.