Often called Legacy North, the extension would reach from Farmington toward the west side of Davis County and into Weber County, Ramjoue said.

Estimates for the cost of corridor preservation in Davis County are more than $438 million, with the Legacy North corridor costing about half that. That's a huge expense that makes $2 million collected each year from vehicle registrations seem nominal, Ramjoue said.

But construction on Legacy North isn't estimated to begin until 2016 at the earliest. Anything the commissioners could do to lower the Utah Department of Transportation's building costs could expedite the freeway's construction, he said.

Other projects that funds could be used for include U.S. Highway 89, the Interstate 15 interchange near Glovers Lane, and 2000 West from Syracuse to Roy.

Davis commissioners heard from South Weber Mayor Joe Gertge, chairman of the Davis COG, and John Pitt, president and chief executive officer of the Davis Chamber of Commerce, who both urged commissioners to vote for the increase.

"Ten dollars a year invested in corridors is probably the same as $200 in four or five years," Gertge said.

Pitt said the chamber doesn't take fee increases lightly, but there needs to be good access for businesses to get products to the people.

"We anticipate that as the homes are built there, the businesses need to follow," Pitt said.

Wilf Sommerkorn, the county's director of community and economic development, said that more than ever, transportation is the key to economic growth.

For example, Hewlett-Packard declined to expand its operations in Atlanta a few years ago because the company's employees couldn't reliably get to work on time, Sommerkorn said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com