In a meeting Monday, nearly 15 Davis mayors joined with business leaders to voice opposition to an alternative to Legacy being proposed by members of the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation.

"It is unfair for such a small group to continually delay the project because of their limited views," said West Point Mayor John Petroff.

"We recognize this [roadway] as an important part of the overall solution to our transportation needs."

The Utah Department of Transportation recently completed a 2-year supplemental environmental impact study of the proposed roadway after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver placed an injunction on the project and told it to re-evaluate five areas: the roadway's width, impact to wildlife, location, "sequencing" and integration with mass transit.

Sequencing refers to the order in which projects are completed first, an expanded Interstate 15, commuter rail or Legacy.

The Sierra Club says transit is a viable solution for the county's transportation needs - not a four-lane roadway that destroys nearly 100 acres of wetlands.

Their "smart growth" alternative to Legacy calls for commuter rail from Salt Lake County to Davis County, light rail, bus rapid transit and an expansion of Redwood Road from North Salt Lake to Parrish Lane in Centerville.

The cost would be $200 million less than the now $570 million price tag for Legacy, says Marc Heileson, regional representative of the Sierra Club. Only 12 acres of wetlands would be destroyed by the Redwood Road extension.

"Jamming a freeway down through the wetlands is not the answer," said Heileson. "That story has already been told - we call it Los Angeles."

The Sierra Club has launched a radio campaign to gather support for its proposal.

But Davis County leaders announced the formation of a new group: "Utahns for the Legacy Parkway." Nearly 400 people have pledged support.

"We want a place where people can go for definitive truth about the Legacy Parkway," said Chris Dallin, president of the Davis Chamber of Commerce.

nwarburton@sltrib.com