LEGACY HIGHWAY IS NOT A DONE DEAL!!

Contrary to what is implied in a local front page newspaper story, the proposed West Davis, or "Legacy Parkway" segment of the proposed 120 mile Legacy Highway is NOT a done deal.

EPA has NOT agreed to Alignment D. The Corps of Engineers has NOT gone through the wetlands permit public hearing and decision process. Citizen groups have NOT dropped their opposition to wetlands desecration and escalating sprawl and their demand for real transportation solutions. Quite the opposite is true. Action is heating up. The process is by no means complete or sewed up.

In their January, 1999, comments on the Legacy Parkway DEIS, EPA rated it as "environmentally unsatisfactory-inadequate". Major concerns were: "environmental impacts to wetlands of national significance; information on indirect wetlands impacts; inadequate disclosure and analysis on purpose and need; analysis of alternatives to building a new road; and inappropriate segmentation of this project for alternative and impact analysis." They further stated, " These environmental impacts are of an unsatisfactory magnitude for all the "Build" alternatives presented (i.e. Alternatives A, B, and C)." These concerns have not gone away.

Spring and summer of 2000 could be big action time on Legacy Highway. There will be a public hearing on the wetlands permit and the Legacy Parkway Final Environmental Impact Statement is slated to be issued. The Sierra Club and other citizen groups say, "We're ready! Legacy Highway simply isn't the solution. The DEIS was badly flawed and didn't prove the need for, or the environmental acceptability of, the proposed highway. There was no serious analysis of integrated land use and mass transit alternatives that would give us sustainable, longer lived transportation solutions. Trying to build your way out of congestion means forever trying to build your way out of congestion, and never succeeding. The Great Salt Lake ecosystem and the people and their communities deserve a much better future."

OTHER "HOT" LEGACY RELATED ACTION:

Salt Lake City Gateway Project - It looks as if there will be a regional train in our future, thanks to the success of TRAX and enthusiasm of Davis County and other Wasatch Front officials. BUT, the train would not connect with TRAX unless the Gateway Project is modified to allow this to happen. An intermodal connection that actually connects is very important for the success of regional rail and mass transit in general.

Next Hot Legacy Highway Segments -Right of way studies are being conducted right now on the Farmington to Ogden proposed segment of Legacy Highway (along Bluff Road) and the 5600 West segment from the Utah County line to I-80 and north around the airport swinging east to connect with the proposed West Davis "Legacy Parkway" segment.

Mega-Mall at 5600 West and I-80 - A mega-mall at this location appears to rely on the proposed 5600 West and "around the airport" segment of Legacy Highway being built, and would give more impetus to building that segment of Legacy Highway. New highways induce development.