Legacy Parkway -- No Longer a Mirage?

Earlier this evening I was reading what is hopefully the final draft of the Agreement in Principle regarding Legacy Parkway (I lost track, but this is something like revision 4,321,945 give or take...).  The legislature's settlement working group will be taking this agreement to our legislative caucuses on Wednesday for their support.  It has been a difficult process, getting something that everyone should be able to live with.  Neither side got everything they wanted, but such is the negotiating process.  We think/hope that we have something that the legislature can support.

UDOT deserves a lot of credit for working diligently on bring the various players together and trying to broker the agreement.  It's been a challenging process, but hopefully they will reap the success of their diligence.

So, here's the remaining steps:
1.  Guage legislative support for the Agreement in Principle
2. Gov. and plaintiffs sign Agreement in Principle
3.  Full agreement is executed
4.  Gov calls special sessions
5.  Legislature approves the full agreement

This could be done in as little as 30 days.

Comments

[Kay W. Briggs]

John,

As Mayor of North Salt Lake, I have some concerns about negociating with Environmental groups who have already cost millions of taxpayers dollars in this war over a very well planned and necessary road.

However, I support the compromise on the following points:

1. The Speed Limit -- 55 miles per hour won't hurt us for a few years. Few Utahns obey the speed limit anyway. Perhaps with a 55 mile limit for these few miles, we might save a life or two.

2. Asphalt vs. Concrete -- Most Interstates are asphalt anyway. I don't see this as a big deal.

3. Loss of Commercial at Bountiful's 5th South on-off ramp. This may cost Woods Cross some tax revenue, but it will not hurt the general plan for the Legacy Parkway. In fact, this is probably the right thing to do anyway.

4. No Trucks, except in emergency situations -- Every day right now is an emergency situation; hopefully, the new four lanes will reduce bottlenecks and problems. Truckers may actually get through more quickly.

5. Width of the shoulders on the freeway -- I personally think this is the greatest error. If a car stalls or a tire blows, you must have room enough to safely get out of your vehicle. I don't like this, but think we can correct it over time.

Thanks,

KWBriggs
Mayor North Salt Lake