Utah Department of Transportation

Overview

Data Source: UDOT

Over the last 17 years, Utah has enjoyed economic prosperity and growth. At the same time, however, that prosperity and growth has created challenges for the transportation system.

Between 1990 and 2007 the state experienced a 47 percent increase in population. At the same time travel, measured by vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased 71 percent. However, during that same timeframe, the state only added an additional 4 percent of capacity to the highway system.

Projections show the trend will continue. By 2010, travel will have increased by a remarkable 99 percent, population by 61 percent and new capacity by a mere 5 percent.

This trend is not unique to Utah; VMT is drastically outpacing population growth all across the country. However, Utah is growing much faster than most other states. In fact, by the year 2050 more than 5 million people will call Utah home, making it one of the fastest growing states in the country.

The Department of Transportation faces the significant challenge of meeting the transportation needs of a growing state with limited resources. UDOT is addressing this challenge through its strategic goals, known as the “Final Four.”

1. Take Care of What We Have
2. Make the System Work Better
3. Improve Safety
4. Increase Capacity

Pavement Preservation

Data Source: UDOT

Why this is important:

Much like changing the oil in your vehicle, proactive pavement treatments and maintenance will extend the lifetime of the roadway for a minimal investment. Such activities will cost far less than replacing pavements prematurely.

What we're doing about it:

Performance Target: Using a scale that measures the roughness of pavement, UDOT will strive to maintain 90 percent of interstate pavements, 70 percent of arterial pavements and 50 percent of collector pavements in "fair or better" condition. In 2006, UDOT maintained 93 percent of interstate pavements, 65 percent of arterial pavements and 49 percent of collector pavements in "fair or better" condition.

Snow and Ice Control

Data Source: UDOT

Why this is important:

The department faces a significant challenge in keeping Utah's roads free of ice and snow during the winter months. Snow and ice removal is a critical task in order to ensure the safety of motorists and the health of the roadway.

What we're doing about it:

UDOT's maintenance management system assigns a letter grade to the department's snow removal efforts. The department's target grade is "A-". A grade of "A" represents clear, dry conditions. A grade of "B" represents snow or ice building up occasionally. A grade of "C" represents snow or ice building up regularly. For FY 2007, UDOT achieved a grade of "A-" for snow and ice control.

Incident Management

Data Source: UDOT

Why this is important:

Incidents that impede the freeflow of traffic (crashes, stalled vehicles, debris in the roadway) need to be removed from the travel lanes as quicly as possible. For every minute saved clearing an incident, five minutes of traffic back-up is prevented and secondary crashes are minimized.

What we're doing about it:

UDOT's Incident Management Teams support the Utah Highway Patrol in clearing incidents. They are committed to clearing non-injury incidents in 30min or less, serious injuries in 60min or less, and fatalities in less than 120min.

Reduce Fatalities

Data Source: UDOT

Why this is important:

Safety improvements made to the state highway system can help reduce the number of traffic related deaths.

What we're doing about it:

The department is committed to an ultimate goal of eliminating traffic related deaths by reducing the amount of fatalities on Utah highways by 2 percent each year. The target reduction is calculated from a baseline of 373 fatalities in the year 2000. In 2007, 287 people lost their lives on Utah roads, a reduction of two people from the previous year.

Improve Travel Time

Data Source: UDOT

Why this is important:

Motorists measure mobility in one simple way: How long does it take me to get where I need to go? The department is committed to ensuring that travel times and congestion are minimized, even as population and travel continue to grow.

What we're doing about it:

The department began measuring travel times on key corridors along the Wasatch Front (I-15 and I-80) in 2004. There are four key commuting corridors to and from SLC. 2007 measurements were:

• Ogden (AM): 41mph (poor and decreasing)
• Ogeden (PM): 40mph (poor and decreasing)
• Provo (AM): 53mph (good and decreasing)
• Provo (PM): 48mph (fair and decreasing)
• Tooele (AM): 70mph (excellent and stable)
• Tooele (PM): 69mph (excellent and stable)
• Park City (AM): 59mph (good and decreasing)
• Park City (PM): 53mph (good and decreasing)