The test deals with issues such as dust suppression and how to clean up an oil spill, identify areas where animals are nesting and prevent silt and sediment from washing into wetland areas. Throughout the 14-mile construction site from North Salt Lake to Farmington, segments of wetlands are encircled by orange fencing to indicate that crews can't go near the sites and should be aware when moving dirt.

Just past Center Street in North Salt Lake, crews are now forbidden from working on a segment of the road because of nesting falcons. Work can continue in maybe six weeks when the hatchlings have moved on.

Each day, environmental monitors hired by UDOT and its three contractors observe the site to see if it's being protected.

"There are other projects that have sensitive environmental issues, but typically not at the level we are at with this project, and not as many," said Mike Perkins, environmental oversight manager for UDOT.

Jensen said motorists may notice UDOT's focus on the environment and the Great Salt Lake wetlands when they drive on Legacy in 2008. Sections of northbound lanes are being elevated over southbound lanes so motorists can view wetland areas. The elevation will also help protect wildlife from noise, since no sound walls are being built along the road, just dirt berms, or mounds, that will have trees and native shrubbery planted on top.

In addition, pedestrian bridges are being built so residents can access trails on the west side of Legacy. Near 500 South in Bountiful, crews are pounding long steel rods called piles into the ground to support a bridge and interchange. Near this interchange, UDOT will build a parking area, where motorists can pull off and walk around a wetland area the agency is planning to create.

"We want people to see what it is we're trying to protect," Jensen said.

Marc Heileson, regional representative for the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club, said he was pleased with the work on Legacy and hoped UDOT would extend its focus on the environment to the Mountain View Corridor, which is proposed for Salt Lake and Utah counties. The Sierra Club was an original plaintiff in the 2001 suit that stopped work on Legacy until 2006.

"We have seen a full 180 with the redesign" of Legacy, Heileson said. "It just makes sense to keep that momentum alive."

For more information about the construction of Legacy, log on to www.udot.utah.gov/legacy.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com