New Legacy land plan drawing fire

Just two months after the Sierra Club raised concerns about a frontage road planned to be built on wetlands next to the Legacy Parkway, local government officials have erased that road from long-range transportation plans.

Penciled in its place is a plan to preserve land for a road that could be built even closer to the Great Salt Lake wetlands. That's problematic for the Sierra Club, which has become a fierce defender of the lake's surrounding habitat. The road could be anywhere between Interstate 15 and Sheep Road near Centerville, in Davis County.

Sheep Road, which is a small dirt road, was rejected by the federal government as a route for Legacy because of its environmental impact. Getting permission to build anything near that road will be a challenge because of the wetlands, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.

"I say that based off our experience with Legacy in that area," said UDOT deputy director Carlos Braceras.

But Thursday, during a meeting of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, local officials gave preliminary approval to a long-range transportation plan that includes preservation of land for a route near Sheep Road. The frontage road, located at 1250 West in Centerville, had been originally on the plan but was removed.

The plan is known as a Draft Regional Transportation Plan. It outlines $30 billion worth of road and transit projects needed to relieve congestion in five Wasatch Front counties over the next 23 years. Most every road or transit project in these counties must be on the plan before being considered for construction.

Next Thursday, the council is scheduled to decide whether to officially approve the plan.

Marc Heileson, regional representative for the Sierra Club, said building any road west of Legacy will impact critical wetlands near the Great Salt Lake. He was pleased the frontage road was removed from the plan but said building anything near Sheep Road was irresponsible, given its proximity to wetlands.

As for the rest of the long-range regional plan, the environmental group wants a transit line at 5600 West to be included. The line is only tentative now.

Regarding the Sheep Road plan, Heileson told members of the Regional Council's Regional Growth Committee that the difficulty of the project will be to get it approved. "I'm warning you, there will be opposition," Heileson said.

In 2001, the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation sued to stop construction of Legacy. They believed the state did not do enough to study the environmental impacts of building the highway next to the Great Salt Lake wetlands.

The environmental groups won their lawsuit, and work stopped on the highway in 2001. Four years later, the state signed a settlement. Work began on the highway in 2006, and the road is planned to open in 2008.

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