FARMINGTON — Gary Uresk and Wilf Sommerkorn don't dispute the sincerity of arguments against the Legacy Parkway.

They just think opponents have pushed their opinions too hard — and have fed the public misinformation about an alternative to the 14-mile roadway.

"They truly believe what they're saying, but I think they're ignoring some fundamental concepts," said Uresk, Woods Cross city administrator. "People have to find out their own way."

And withholding information won't win supporters, he said.

Since announcing the "Citizens' Smart Growth Alternative" in late December, the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation have met with the Utah Department of Transportation but not with Davis County leaders.

What they've seen of the plan is "skeptical," said Sommerkorn, director of community and economic development for Davis County. Details are limited.

The alternative — which calls for extension of Redwood Road and construction of light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit — would be $300 million less than estimates for Legacy, according to Marc Heileson, regional representative for the Sierra Club.

Also, fewer wetlands would be destroyed and highway-induced sprawl would be limited, Heileson said.

"We think that it's an overall better vision," he said. "It provides more transportation choices for people. It provides a second alternative through Davis, but it doesn't do it in the form of a freeway through the wetlands."

He cites a decision last month in Pennsylvania to back off plans for a controversial freeway bypass as an example of how the alternative would work. The state decided to build a two-lane parkway instead in response to rising costs and community opposition.

Smart Mobility Inc., a Vermont-based engineering firm, presented an alternative similar to the one adopted in Pennsylvania. The firm is employing the same concepts as it helps opponents design an alternative to Legacy.

Sommerkorn called the plan a diversion and said opponents simply want a way to delay the project in court.

And comparisons between Utah and Pennsylvania are unfounded, Uresk added. There are three "major" differences between Legacy and the Pennsylvania road: traffic growth, size and past development.

First, Davis County's population is growing rapidly, Uresk said. Developers continue to carve land west of I-15, closer and closer to the Great Salt Lake shoreline. While traffic growth was an initial reason to build in Pennsylvania, that growth had stalled.

Second, the Pennsylvania road was a "connector" road, not a separate freeway like Legacy.

Third, commercial and residential development was causing the Pennsylvania traffic — something that can be resolved by enhancing local roads, Uresk said. The growth in Davis County is much greater than something that could be solved by adjustments to local roads.

"We're just going to get more and more of our roads with traffic on them," he said. "Transit can't handle it alone. We need a better access route."

The comment period for the supplemental environmental impact statement for the Legacy Parkway ends Monday, March 21. Comments can be submitted via e-mail, legacy@jsanet.com, or by phone, 801-951-1039.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com