Regional Growth Committee releases Amendment 4 — Legacy Parkway lane additions and I‑15 Box Elder widening sent for public comment

South Jordan, Utah — The Wasatch Front Regional Council's Regional Growth Committee on Aug. 21 voted to release Amendment 4 to the 2023–2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the associated air quality conformity memorandum (No. 43) for a 30‑day public comment period, sending proposed changes proposed by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) out for public review.

The release covers three principal changes: accelerating a project to add one lane in each direction on Legacy Parkway between I‑215 and the US‑89/I‑15 interchange in Farmington, advancing an I‑15 widening project in Box Elder County into an earlier phase, and removing an existing project for operational passing lanes that the Box Elder widening would supersede. The committee voted to open the public comment period beginning Aug. 22 and running through Sept. 22.

Why it matters: UDOT advised moving the Legacy Parkway work to an earlier phase so it can serve as temporary capacity while I‑15 is widened, which the agency says would shorten the I‑15 construction schedule and reduce cost. The changes affect project phasing, lane type designations and fiscal assumptions in a fiscally constrained regional plan; the amendment also requires an air‑quality conformity determination under federal rules.

What staff and UDOT presented

Jory Jonner, long‑range planning director at Wasatch Front Regional Council, told the committee the Legacy Parkway change would move the project from later phases into phase 1, update costs, and change the previously identified HOT (high‑occupancy toll) lane treatment to general‑purpose lanes. Jonner said UDOT's initial analysis estimated time savings "about 9 to 12 months" for I‑15 construction and cited an estimated $200 million in savings for the I‑15 scope if the Legacy Parkway lane additions proceed in advance of some I‑15 work. Jonner also described the Box Elder widening as a single, broader widening that would replace a segmented passing‑lane approach then currently listed in the RTP.

Tiffany Pocock, a UDOT representative, told the committee the modifications were intended to improve traffic flow and worker safety during heavy construction: "This will save about a year of construction on I‑15. So we can get in there. We can do we can preconstruction I‑15 safely and get out." Pocock said funds have been identified by the Transportation Commission for the Box Elder widening.

Public comment and committee discussion

A public commenter, Roger Borgenich of Utahns for Better Transportation, spoke during the meeting's public‑comment period specifically opposing Amendment 4's Legacy Parkway lane additions. Borgenich told the committee he was "speaking in opposition to amendment 4 to the 2023–2025 regional transportation plan that would widen Legacy Parkway by adding a third lane in each direction." He urged prioritizing transit improvements, including double‑tracking and electrification of FrontRunner, as an alternative.

Committee members and staff discussed model results and technical considerations in the packet; Jonner said the amendment produces modest improvements in vehicle‑hours‑of‑travel in the affected phase 1 horizon and that the RTP's interagency and federal review steps (including Federal Highway review of fiscal constraint) have been followed in preparing the amendment for public release.

Vote and next steps

The committee voted to release Amendment 4 and air‑quality memorandum 43 to a 30‑day public comment period beginning Aug. 22 and ending Sept. 22. The motion to release the amendment for public comment was moved on the record and seconded; the chair called for public input during the 30‑day window and said staff would collect comments and present them to the committee at the October meeting before any final recommendation is forwarded to the full regional council. UDOT staff noted an additional public meeting on the corridor environmental document scheduled for Sept. 24.

What is not decided

The committee's action on Aug. 21 was a procedural vote to begin public comment. Neither the committee nor the council approved construction or final design; those steps will follow after public comment, any required environmental findings and final council action. The committee did not provide an amended, final fiscal table in the meeting; updated cost and funding information is in the amendment packet and will be part of the record presented for council consideration.

Where to comment

WFRC will accept comments on Amendment 4 and Air Quality Memorandum 43 from Aug. 22–Sept. 22. Staff said a public comment form and supporting materials will be posted on the council's website and that comments made during the open period will be returned to the committee for review at the Oct. 16 meeting.

(Selected quotes from the meeting: Roger Borgenich, Utahns for Better Transportation: "I am speaking in opposition to amendment 4 to the 2023–2025 regional transportation plan that would widen Legacy Parkway by adding a third lane in each direction.")