Legacy Parkway gets green light

NORTH SALT LAKE — The road is muddy and marked by deep ruts. A gate bars the public from access.

To most Davis County residents, this is a picture that defines the battle over the past eight years to build the Legacy Parkway, which was abandoned soon after construction began in 2001. It's a history that has been marked by lawsuits, failed negotiations and a costly court-ordered halt to construction.

But Wednesday, state officials and a group of citizen activists unveiled a plan to smooth out the bumps, remove the gate and pave a way for work on Legacy to begin again. Just after 4 p.m., Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Brad Yates from the Sierra Club signed an "agreement in principle," which sets a framework for settling the 2001 lawsuit that halted construction on the road.

If all goes to plan, construction on Legacy will begin next spring. The road could be open for travel by 2008.

"This is an exciting day for our state, with tremendous positive impact for the state's economy, the environment and its transportation system," said Huntsman.

Over the next 30 to 60 days, lawmakers and staff will create a formal settlement agreement, which will be voted on by the Legislature during a special session, according to Huntsman. If the formal settlement abides by principles in the agreement signed Wednesday, lawmakers say they have enough votes to approve the settlement. The state would still need to go to court to lift the injunction that halted work.

During caucus meeting Wednesday, GOP senators approved the deal with little dissent, Senate Majority Leader Pete Knudson, R-Brigham City, said. The majority party members discussed the terms for nearly an hour behind closed doors.

"It was not close. There was some dissention but not much," Knudson said. "Really, there wasn't any specific heartburn. I think that bottom line, we see this as a win-win and we want to move on."

House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, said the GOP House caucus was about two-thirds in favor of the settlement, one-third against it. Before Huntsman signed the agreement, he asked lawmakers to give their approval.

Key aspects of Wednesday's agreement include the following: a prohibition of large commercial trucks on Legacy; a speed limit set at 55 mph; no billboards; noise-reducing pavement; acquisition of 125 additional acres for the Legacy Nature Preserve; and a pledge of $2.5 million for an environmental study of light rail and bus rapid transit.

Plans to reconstruct and expand I-15 must also be deferred until 2020. Also, no further lawsuits can be filed against the Legacy Parkway by those who signed the agreement.