Ground finally broken for Legacy

FARMINGTON — After years of bad feelings and a hard-fought compromise, opposing groups came together Thursday to break ground on the Legacy Parkway.

The 14-mile road — first envisioned 50 years ago — is finally being built.

"Here we have a solution," said Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. during Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony in Farmington. "We're going forward. We're back in the game. We've all come out winners because of this."

Unlike past meetings with "environmentalists" and Utah officials, Thursday's ceremony was rife with praise and good-feelings. Compromise and "cooperation" were the topic of discussion, as speakers praised a settlement reached last November that paved the way for construction on Legacy to begin this month.

That settlement had several concessions, including a ban on truck traffic, speed limits set at 55 mph, money for mass transit and a road designed with "parkway" features. Plans to incorporate parkway features on Legacy were unveiled during Thursday's groundbreaking.

Angelo Papastamos, Context Sensitive Solutions Director for UDOT, said the newly designed road is "unique" and will be hard to compare to other roads nationwide.

"We've just really tried to fit it in with the natural community and extend it out to fit with the community," he said. "This is special. It is definitely special."

Said Roger Borgenicht, part of the group of original Legacy plaintiffs: "I think this is a good outcome. As the governor said, it's about balance and this is a much more balanced road."

When finished in late 2008, Legacy will be a four-lane highway that runs from North Salt Lake to Farmington. Adjoining the road will be a series of trails and a 2,225-acre nature preserve. UDOT says it will remove 30 percent of the traffic from I-15 in Davis County.

"This represents a huge milestone for us in the state of Utah," said UDOT deputy director Carlos Braceras.

"I feel like such a geek for being so excited about asphalt," said Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, a key leader in November's settlement agreement. "Who could have thought that in your life, you'd be so excited about a stinkin' road."

Residents also cheered the end of litigation and the start to construction. But one Bountiful resident said construction is coming too late.

"Based off the congestion on I-15, it's got to be," said Mack Smith. "But I think they're underdesigning it. I think it's too little, too late."