Both parties must learn from Parkway legacy

Back to Legacy: There is plenty to dislike in this deal. No one got everything they wanted, but the flaws are not great enough to reject the agreement and go back to litigation, years of delay and $200 million more in costs.

Many lawmakers dislike the notion of negotiating with environmental groups. However, the court, in essence, gave them standing and it was either negotiate with them or fight them in court.

UDOT leaders John Njord and Carlos Braceras deserve credit for pro-actively starting the dialogue leading to the negotiations and (hopefully) an end to litigation and delays.

One rumor that deserves to be put to rest: The Utah Transit Authority did not work behind the scenes to promote mass transit in the agreement. Because the agreement includes funding for transit studies in south Davis County, a few people have speculated that UTA pushed that provision. UTA leaders say that is simply untrue. They did not originate that idea or promote it.

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Republican LaVarr Webb was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. He now is a political consultant and lobbyist. E-mail: lwebb@exoro.com. Democrat Frank Pignanelli is a Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser. A former candidate for Salt Lake mayor, Pignanelli served 10 years in the Utah House of Representatives, six years as House minority leader. E-mail: frankp@xmission.com.