In 2002, the Legacy Parkway - currently under construction in south Davis County - was named a state scenic byway.

Now a group of city and county officials, transportation experts and land planners hope to take the new route - it borders wetlands along the Great Salt Lake - to the next level.

"Other scenic byways in the country highlight some of the nation's most important scenery," said Sharen Hauri, land planner with the Salt Lake City-based Grassli Group.

Hauri, along with Davis Chamber of Commerce board member Neka Roundy and others, has worked to prepare a Parkway master plan.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for Davis County," Roundy said. "In the future, when people look at maps, they'll see that dot on the highway" - referring to the somewhat rare status awarded by the Federal Highway Administration.

In 1991, the FHA launched the National Scenic Byways program, which Congress reauthorized in 1998. Utah currently features seven such byways.

The 14-mile, four-lane Legacy - to be finished by fall 2008 - will link Interstate 215 in North Salt Lake to the junction of Interstate 15 and U.S. Highway 89 in Farmington.

A hiking-biking-equestrian trail will run along the parkway's west side, and the Great Salt Lake and its surrounding ecosystem would serve as the byway's chief calling card.

The intent of the parkway's master plan is to keep the area pastoral, simple and human-scaled - thus preserving the corridor as unique and inviting, Hauri said.

The federally granted distinction would give the county added protection to keep the byway in good shape, she added.

Next in the process, county officials and leaders in five cities - Farmington, Centerville, Woods Cross, West Bountiful and North Salt Lake - will consider adopting the roadway's master plan, along with an ordinance to preserve the corridor's overall character.

Application for federal scenic byway status will occur after the roadway officially opens, Hauri said.

And when the northern leg of the Legacy Parkway gets built through northern Davis County into Weber County, Roundy said she hopes to obtain the same national distinction for that section of road as well.

"It will be a great local resource," said Davis County Commissioner Bret Millburn. "And it will put us on the map."

cmckitrick@sltrib.com