High Cost of Oil Takes a Toll on Roads

May 30, 2008 by Jeff Robinson

(KCPW News) The high price of oil is taking a toll on local governments beyond the cost of filling up the gas tank. As Salt Lake County maintenance crews hit the streets this summer to fill in potholes, the cost of asphalt is sure to be an issue.

"This year, we're paying a little over $40 per ton for asphalt, where in the past, 2006 for example, we were at about $30 a ton, and back in 2002, we were about $18 per ton. So we've seen gigantic increases," said Kevyn Smeltzer, Director of Public Works Operations for the county. He said crews normally pave until October, but may have to stop a bit early this year when the money runs out.

County Mayor Peter Corroon also notes that it's a challenge simply to find people to do the work.

"One of the issues we had last year, we couldn't even find enough employees to do the work. We'd like to contract out some of the work, and we couldn't find contractors to do the work," said Corroon. "That was the bigger issue last year, and this year, I'm sure we'll see some of that again. We still have a strong economy here."

Corroon added that on major arteries like 33rd South, where several projects are going on, the state, cities and county are all responsible for different sections of the road.

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