Snow frustrates some Utahns, melts UDOT's budget

Snow frustrates some Utahns, melts UDOT's budget


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Andrew Adams and The AP reportingFrustration is setting in as yet another winter storm gets set to pound the Wasatch Front. The Utah Department of Transportation is taking a hit, too.

All this snow is making life painful for people like Arsenio. "Yeah, we're [frustrated] because we work in it," he said.

A woman named Rebecca said, "I'm moving, so it's kind of hard to plan a day to move everything when it's snowing. It makes me mad."

It's also too much for UDOT's budget. The 3 to 6 inches from this storm is adding to its snow removal budget problems.

The department has already spent $19 million this year: $18.1 million from the snow removal budget and $1.5 million from its construction fund, which should fund pothole fixes and road restriping. UDOT will ask state lawmakers to let it borrow $8 million from its construction budget to help pay for snow removal through the rest of winter.

The state agency isn't the only one struggling with its budget this winter. Cities all along the Wasatch Front are dipping into reserve funds or borrowing from other budget pots to keep up with winter's bounty.

Salt Lake City's Public Services finance director Greg Davis says the city's winter salt budget needs an additional $240,000.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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