UDOT prepares for Legacy construction in spring '06

With the end of the 10-year fight over Legacy Parkway just the governor's signature away, opponents and proponents alike say the only thing left to do now is move on.

More litigation isn't a likely threat, say lawmakers, the Utah Department of Transportation and plaintiffs in the 2001 lawsuit that put the project on hold.

"I would say the probability of something standing in the way of Legacy — the probability is almost non-existent," said Rep. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, a key player in negotiations in the settlement agreement ratified Wednesday night during a special session of the Legislature. "To have the issue resolved is a great relief. It's exciting to get it built."

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who praised settlement negotiators for working out the agreement and legislators for approving it, is to add his signature to the deal at 10 a.m. Monday.

UDOT officials will be meeting a number of deadlines between now and spring when construction of the 14-mile road between North Salt Lake to Farmington gets under way again. They met one of those deadlines Thursday by making public a final supplemental environment-impact study.

The public can comment on the final study for the next 30 days, after which UDOT will respond and apply to federal oversight agencies for construction permits.

"If the settlement had not been approved by the Legislature, that would have drastically changed the nature of the comments (received on the study) and as a result, that would have drastically changed the schedule as far as how long we had to respond to those comments," said UDOT spokesman Tom Hudachko.

In other words, no settlement would have meant more delays on construction, according to Hudachko.

UDOT has already hired a firm to design changes to Legacy, a step required under the settlement agreement. The settlement also calls for landscaping, rubberized pavement, minimization of the optical width of road shoulders and other provisions.

Hudachko said his agency will focus on design changes for several months. In January, UDOT will go back to court to ask that an injunction on the road be lifted — then on to construction, said Hudachko.

"Now's the time to talk about building a project and moving forward with congestion relief," said Hudachko.

For Marc Heileson, regional representative for the Sierra Club, the past eight years have been occupied with fighting Legacy. With a settlement signed by the Legislature, he will now focus on promoting mass transit along the Wasatch Front.