And House Democrats, irked at being left out of the process, are withholding support until they know more about the details of the agreement announced Wednesday to build the 14-mile stretch of highway in Davis County.

"We were just caught by surprise by the whole thing," said Minority Leader Ralph Becker, who didn't even know the agreement had been struck until someone called to ask why he wasn't at the Capitol news conference that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. held Wednesday afternoon.

Outnumbered 56 to 19 in the House, Democrats rarely are able to flex much political muscle. It's unlikely they will vote down the plan, which would bring long-anticipated relief to commuters, many of them furious at the lawsuit that stopped construction four years ago. But Democrats are demanding answers before they cast their crucial votes.

In the House Republican caucus Wednesday, the straw vote on the parkway agreement was about 32-16, with seven absent. Curtis said the 16 are firmly opposed; he needs 38 House votes to pass the measure that is planned for a special session Huntsman says he expects to call within the next six weeks.

Already Curtis has lost one Republican vote. A representative he declined to name called Thursday morning to tell him he thought some of the comments made during the news conference were designed to goad the Legislature, proving - if anyone still needs evidence - emotions continue to run high.

"All parties need to make sure they don't gloat," Curtis said. "It doesn't do any good to poke sticks. I'm very concerned."

UDOT estimates that the project, initially expected to cost around $451 million, is now climbing toward $690 million. After eight months of negotiation between the state and the coalition of conservation organizations that filed the lawsuit, Huntsman signed off on a compromise that would allow construction to start by May and carry motorists by 2008.

Under the agreement, the state would buy 125 acres of Great Salt Lake wetlands that had been slated for commercial development and pay for an environmental study of light-rail or bus rapid transit in south Davis County. Commercial trucks and billboards would be banned, the maximum speed would be 55 mph and the road's asphalt would be rubberized to dampen noise.

The agreement sailed through both parties' Senate caucuses Wednesday. But all 19 of the House Democrats decided the negotiations hadn't been in good faith because none of them had been at the table.

Becker said there were significant differences from the Huntsman-backed agreement that circulated in July.

"Certain elements were dropped that to us seemed valuable," he said.

Curtis said his caucus unanimously rejected the July version of the agreement.

He also said he wasn't trying purposely to exclude his Democratic colleagues from Wednesday's discussions, only focusing on getting his own party members in line.

Acknowledging opposition from the trucking industry and others who dislike the truck ban, Curtis said in the future he would be "a little more more hard-nosed about not taking all the trucks off the highway."

That's an issue with Republican Rep. Jim Dunnigan of Taylorsville and Centerville Mayor Michael Deamer.

"We're supporting the agreement because having something out there rather than nothing," Deamer said, praising Huntsman for getting the deal rolling. But the truck ban rankles.

"All the trucks will go past our homes so the brine shrimp won't be disturbed," Deamer said. "It would have been nice to have it the other way around."

Dunnigan, too, is glad Legacy finally will be built, but resents the lawsuit plaintiffs: Utahns for Better Transportation, the Sierra Club, the Future Moves Coalition, Great Salt Lake Audubon, Friends of Great Salt Lake and the League of Women Voters.

"We have a minority group using the courts contrary to the will of the people," Dunnigan said. "It's unfortunate some of these groups are more concerned about the wildlife, rather than the people."

But Huntsman said Thursday that litigants are people, too.

"Those concerned citizens have legal standing. That must be recognized," he said during his monthly KUED-TV news conference.