11/10/05-Utah lawmakers meeting in special session approved a settlement agreement Wednesday, Nov. 9, between the state and conservation groups that successfully sued to stop construction of the 14-mile Legacy Parkway that is expected to run parallel to Interstate 15 and relieve congestion.
The conservation groups and Utah Department of Transportation reached an out-of-court settlement Oct. 31. It called for approval from legislators as well as a federal court.
The agreement has several provisions, including a ban on large truck traffic, billboards and roadway shoulders. The speed limit will be 55 mph.
Senators approved the deal – SB2001 – on a 25-2 vote. Soon after, the House followed suit on a 49-21 vote.
By approving the settlement agreement, the state is now on pace to begin construction on the four-lane scenic route from Salt Lake City to Farmington by May and open by 2008.
The Legacy Parkway was proposed in the late 1990s by then-Gov. Mike Leavitt as part of a 120-mile highway from Brigham City to Nephi.
It has been held up in court battles since late 2001. Construction was halted when the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals found fault with UDOT’s environmental impact study. The Sierra Club was joined by several other environmental groups in objecting to the highway’s proximity to and impact on the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake.
Restrictions on truck traffic along the parkway can be lifted when I-15 is shut down, in an emergency or for construction on I-15. The truck restrictions are scheduled to end in 2020.