The Wasatch Front Regional Council on Oct. 23 approved Amendment No. 4 to the 2023–2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), moving several Utah Department of Transportation projects into an earlier implementation phase and replacing an existing passing‑lane entry in the plan.

The amendment package includes three primary actions: accelerating a widening of Legacy Parkway in Davis County (U.S. 89 to I‑215) from a later phase into phase 1 and changing its planned lanes from high‑occupancy/toll designations to general‑purpose lanes; moving an I‑15 widening project in Box Elder County into phase 1 and replacing an earlier passing‑lane/operational entry for the same corridor; and removing the existing passing‑lane project from the RTP so it does not conflict with the widened‑I‑15 entry. The council also separately adopted the required air‑quality conformity analysis for the amendment.

Jory Jonner, WFRC’s long‑range planning director, briefed the council on the amendment and said UDOT requested the changes after operational analysis of the I‑15 Farmington–Salt Lake construction project showed accelerating Legacy Parkway widening would improve traffic flow during construction, reduce I‑15 construction time by nine to 12 months in the agency’s estimate, improve worker safety and produce a projected cost savings on I‑15 in excess of $200 million by reducing maintenance‑of‑traffic needs.

Public comment included opposition to the Legacy Parkway widening from Roger Borgenich of Utahns for Better Transportation, who described the parkway’s scenic‑byway designation, the route’s off‑road shared‑use path, and the potential for noise, pollution and loss of parkway character if the corridor becomes a six‑lane highway. Borgenich urged prioritizing the FrontRunner double‑tracking project (FrontRunner 2x), scheduled for completion in 2030, as a travel alternative during I‑15 construction.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson urged delaying or rejecting the accelerated Legacy Parkway widening, citing the corridor’s scenic‑byway designation, wetlands and trail amenities and arguing the region should complete FrontRunner double‑tracking and I‑15 work before permanently altering Legacy Parkway.

A UDOT‑area speaker said the Legacy Parkway widening was contemplated in the corridor’s environmental planning and would not change posted speeds or remove the scenic‑byway protections that restrict signage; staff also reiterated the $200 million savings estimate and operational benefits to I‑15 construction. WFRC staff and the council’s regional growth committee recommended approval after reviewing public comments and project analyses.

The council divided the amendment into three votes. The motion to move Legacy Parkway (I‑15 to U.S. 89/I‑215, Davis County) into phase 1 and change the lane designation passed on a voice vote; the chair recorded two nays. The Box Elder I‑15 widening project and the replacement of the passing‑lane project were each approved in separate votes. The council also approved the amendment’s air‑quality conformity determination in a separate vote.

Council members who spoke in favor said accelerating the Legacy Parkway work would reduce overall cost and construction duration on the larger I‑15 corridor project and improve traffic management and worker safety. Opponents stressed environmental and recreational impacts along Legacy Parkway and urged reliance on transit alternatives such as FrontRunner 2x.

Record of votes in the meeting minutes is by voice; the chair noted that each of the three project votes and the air‑quality conformity vote passed. Council staff said the projects will be carried into the Transportation Improvement Program for funding and scheduling actions that follow this amendment.