Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 3

4 LT. GOVERNOR SPENCER COX Q&A WITH U APA was able to speak with Lt. Governor Cox about the Utah economy and the importance of infrastructure within our state, not just as a “recovery” strategy but also as a means to manage our state’s growth. With COVID-19 raging, all the states have their challenges and certainly their strategies. But other things also require attention and planning, for many reasons, such as roads and infrastructure. Do you plan to work on those two areas? Absolutely! Let me say this first, though. Recovery needs to be our first and foremost objective. We have to get that right before we can do any- thing else, and the good news is that there is a recovery plan. It was pre- pared by the governor, the legislature and dozens of community leaders. The recovery plan identifies the steps Utah needs to take to return to economic strength. The state’s economic recov- ery is already underway. Undoubtedly, we still have challenges ahead. The next several months will not be easy. There will be tough choices with difficult trade-offs, and we will have the occasional setback. We need to be vigilant and smart. But when all is said and done, I have zero doubt that we will emerge from this in a good place. It’s well known that you have a very long commute. If anyone is an expert on commuting via our state’s roads, it would be you. With that in mind, how is the commute? Brutal. It’s about four hours a day, round trip. When I started working as lieutenant governor six-and-a-half years ago, my wife was very firm—we’re not moving. I commute regularly because of that decision, and I can tell you this: I think we have really good roads. It’s always been a priority here in Utah for the legislature to invest in our roads. UDOT does a great job. For us, it’s imperative to keep Utah’s roads in good condition. What it boils down to is this: good roads are the most econom- ical roads. If you put money into the roads as needed, the ROI is of course much more substantial, and in Utah, ROI has been and will continue to be the focus. A lot of other states aren’t as “road-minded,” if you will. Once a road deteriorates, it’s hard to maintain. We want to invest in our roads. We pour over 4 million tons of asphalt per year in Utah. I amproud of our roads, and that comes from someone who spends a lot of time on them! When it comes to investing in our roads, what do you see as a future guide or strategy? The best decisions are made at the local level, and I don’t see that chang- ing. However, we are investing in infra- structure, and there’s a little formula that I use all the time. It’s proven to be correct every single time. And that is: where infrastructure precedes growth and density, the quality of life stays high. That means it’s really important that we focus that density around the places where we do have the infrastruc- ture, particularly mass transit. By the way, we’ve had the best economy in the nation over the past 10 years, and we have the second-best transportation system in the country. Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Report Card for America’s Infrastructure is released. It depicts the condition and performance of American infrastructure in the familiar form of a school report card — assigning letter grades based on the physical condition and needed investments for improvement. The most recent report card gave an average national score of D for roads and infra- structure. Utah received a B+. That’s not quite an A, and getting an A is a defi- nite draw for us, but we feel very good about our score. We havemany great partners in our quest for the A. Our partners include UDOT and, of course, the members of UAPA. What do you see as the future of roads, such as “smart roads”? I definitely think smarter roads, if you will, are the next frontier. UDOT is already exploring better ways to use our existing roads to better manage traffic and allow us to build tomaximum capacity. We don’t need maximum capacity all the time. The only time we reach it is for a few hours a day during rush-hour traffic. But anyone stuck in peak traffic wants the state to do what it can to keep traffic flowing smoothly as much as possible. Daily traffic jams affect the quality of life. What about planning for growth in rural Utah? I was born in Fairview. Fairview is a town of about 1,200 people in Sanpete County, which is in the geographical center of the state. Sanpete county is one of the bigger counties south of Utah county. I was raised on the farm that my great-great-great-grandfather settled about 160 years ago. Two brothers were sent down to settle Manti. One brother stayed there, but Manti got too big for