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Show Hinckley Journal of Politics Autumn 1998 A Legacy of Conflict: Utah's Growth and the Legacy Highway by Brigham Daniels In J 996, Governor Leavitt introduced the Legacy Project, the construction of an alternate highway that would ultimately run from Brigham City southward to Nephi. The "Legacy" highway would initially be constructed through the Davis County area to Salt Lake City. The project has met considerable opposition from all quarters regarding the placement of the highway, especially in the area where the road would run between the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Front. Statewide newspapers routinely report the latest controversies and developments in the unfolding of the proposed project. In this article, the author examines the players involved, their views, and the conditions in which the debate is couched, and gives an overall analysis of the Legacy Project. Introduction On July 17, 1996 Governor Michael Leavitt, standing beside State Senate President Lane Beattie and Speaker Mel Brown of the State House of Representatives, announced that the state would build an alternate route to Salt Lake County though Davis County. The Governor explained that the highway would be known as the "Legacy Project," as a reminder that "quality of life is our heritage in Utah, and it must also be our legacy'" (Utah Governor's Office 1996, Press Release; hereafter Gov. 1996). The impressive coalition of arguably Utah's most influential state office holders put a face to what before had been known as the West Davis Transportation Corridor, a project proposed by the Wasatch Front Regional Council nearly 30 years ago (Wasatch Front Regional Council 1996, 2). It seemed it would be only a matter of time before the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) would translate the idea into pavement. UDOT would develop the West Davis Transportation Corridor, as the first of several phases of the Legacy Project, which would extend from Brigham City to Nephi (Gov. 1996).' According to UDOT Project Director Byron Parker (1998), the Legacy Project would accommodate 3,400 vehicles per hour during peak traffic in 2020. Without a substantial transportation improvement these additional vehicles would clog Utah's transportation system. Contrary to the appearance of the project's inevitability, the decision-making process has not produced a compromise Brigham Daniels received a B. S. in Economics from the University of Utah and is currently working toward a Master of Public Administration degree. The author extends his gratitude to his wife, family, Professor McCool, and all of the many people who contributed to his research. route. Bill Gedris, the Federal Highway Administration Environmental Engineer assigned to the Legacy Project, said, "I have worked with the Federal Highway Administration for 20 years, and this is the most controversial project that I have ever worked on. The location is difficult to determine because of the possible impacts to the communities and the environment" (1998). UDOT's Project Director of the Legacy Project, Byron Parker, observed, "We have made people mad on every side, and that is a sign that we are doing our job" (1998). Because of the diverse interests of the groups involved, one party's getting the minimum that it wants will only come at the expense of other interests. Conflict is built into the process. Though the cost of the project is immense, the debate surrounds the highway's impact. Actors Despite Davis County's beauty, its features pose some geographical challenges. The mountains on the east and the Great Salt Lake on the west eliminate many alternatives for roads. On the South end of the county, the land between the mountains and the lake is contained in a narrow bottleneck; not surprisingly, some of the biggest disputes appear in this area. A cultural barrier is also significant. Utahns love their cars. Utah's population growth has exploded during the past 30 years; however, our population growth has not kept pace with our vehicle growth. From 1966 to 1996 Utah's population has increased by 230 percent, while our number of vehicles increased by 330 percent (Utah Governor's Office of Planning and Budget 1997, 88). 1 Unless otherwise clarified, "Legacy Highway" refers only to the section cur- rently proposed. 51 |