Njord said that while construction of the road will affect wildlife, the addition of the Legacy Nature Preserve — a 2,100-acre buffer zone between the parkway and the lake — will protect wildlife habitat that otherwise could have been used for residential or commercial development.

The parkway also will include an equestrian/pedestrian trail alongside it for the full 14 miles, from I-215 to Farmington.

"It's an incredible resource to the communities that are being developed along that corridor," Njord said.

Having recently completed the SEIS process, Njord, Braceras and project director John Thomas said they feel confident the Legacy Parkway is a needed road that will be constructed with the least possible impact to the environment. The limited-access highway will parallel I-15 and could be used to carry traffic when UDOT eventually reconstructs I-15 in Davis County.

"When I look at this project, I find it hard to believe that someone could actually be opposed to what's going on here," Njord said.

UDOT opinion polls show 86 percent of Davis County residents, 81 percent of Weber County residents and 63 percent of Salt Lake County residents want the road to be built.

UDOT will need to receive approval of the SEIS from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration. That approval could come as soon as this April.

"We will build this project; there's no question in my mind," Njord said. "The need is too great, the support it too universal, the project is too good."

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com; zman@desnews.com