Study: Utah roads among best, but overspending among worst. Lee Davidson. The Salt Lake Tribune.

Dings and plaudits • UDOT disagrees with claims that its costs have seen a 228 percent leap.

A new national study says Utah’s urban highway conditions are among the nation’s best, but the state is among the worst for cost-effective road spending — including paying nearly four times the national per-mile average for administration.

The study says the Utah’s administrative costs per mile of highway went from $12,938 in 2007 to $42,390 in 2009, a 228 percent increase. It said that 2009 number was four times higher than the national average, and ranked Utah 45th among the states.

However, UDOT says its records show its administrative costs increased by 8.3 percent in those years — from $72.3 million to $78.3 million overall — while the number of miles in the state highway system remained the same.

After combining components, Utah ranks 26th nationally for overall highway performance and efficiency — falling from 22nd and 16th best in the two previous annual reports by the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank that describes itself as “promoting libertarian principles.” It looked at conditions in 2009 because of the time needed to compile data nationally.

In contrast, the study said, “With 5,840 miles under state highway control, it is one of the smaller systems in the country. Yet Utah’s total per-mile highway disbursements are nearly twice the national per-mile average, ranking 39th. The state’s per-mile administrative spending is 3.7 times the national per-mile average, ranking 45th in the country.”

Lee Davidson. Salt Lake Tribune.