Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said he would issue a call today for a special session next week, when lawmakers will vote on a resolution approving the 27-page settlement deal. If the bill passes, construction on the 14-mile scenic byway could start by May and it could open by 2008.
State officials and a spokesman for the conservation groups said the settlement agreement paralleled the compromise proposal announced Sept. 21 that outlined how the roadway would be constructed to minimize harm to Great Salt Lake wetlands while also alleviating traffic jams on Interstate 15.
All of the key components of that earlier proposal remain intact: no semitrailer trucks, no billboards, a maximum speed of 55 mph, rubberized asphalt to dampen road noise and just four lanes wide for at least the next 15 years.
John Njord, UDOT executive director, said negotiators worked hard all Monday to hit the deadline lawmakers and the governor had set in order for the Legislature to have 10 days to review the settlement agreement prior to voting on it during the Nov. 9 special session.
Marc Heileson, spokesman for the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club that had sued to stop the highway, said the Sept. 21 proposal's intent was "well-captured" in the settlement language, which must be approved in a court action and be legally enforceable. "We're feeling pretty good about this," he said.
A major point of contention during the negotiations has been the ban on trucks, opposed by the Utah Trucking Association and others who saw it as inhibiting commerce. The settlement agreement says five-axle trucks with gross vehicle weights exceeding 80,000 pounds are banned. It exempts emergency vehicles and road construction equipment.
"We were never after the Coca-Cola truck going to the 7-Eleven," Heileson said.
"We've had some very good negotiators on the legislative side who kept their eye on the ball, which is to get something done and not have it die under its own weight," Huntsman said.
The agreement has had solid support in the Senate but has been wobbly in the House, where enough votes to pass the bill version of the agreement may still be in question. House Speaker Greg Curtis has said that because at least 16 Republicans are against the agreement, Democratic votes would be a necessity.
House Minority Leader Ralph Becker on Monday said Democrats, who were miffed at their lack of representation during the negotiations, had had a chance to question UDOT about how and why some provisions of the earliest versions of the agreement had changed.The Democratic caucus has not taken a position on the proposal.
"We are in discussion," Becker said.
But Huntsman said he is not worried about the final vote.
"I do believe each legislator will choose to do what's best for their constituents, which I believe at this point will result in our getting it done,'' he said.
The Legacy Parkway is part of the 100-mile Legacy Highway former Gov. Mike Leavitt proposed to allay Wasatch Front traffic north of Salt Lake City.
The Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation, the League of Women Voters, Friends of Great Salt Lake, Future Moves Coalition and Great Salt Lake Audubon were the six main plaintiffs in a lawsuit to halt the highway over inadequate environmental studies.
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Tribune reporter Rebecca Walsh contributed to this story.
