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SALT LAKE CITY — A Senate committee enraged residents earlier this month when it rejected a bill that would extend a longstanding ban on trucks from a scenic byway in Davis County.
But now there's a new push to keep the ban.
Rep. Melissa Ballard, R-North Salt Lake, has a new bill — this time requesting a 5-year extension instead of a 2 1/2-year extension requested in the version of the bill that failed in front of the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee nearly two weeks ago.
The previous bill, sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, failed despite more than an hour of emotional testimony from residents pleading for more time before the ban automatically lifts in less than a year. They want lawmakers to preserve the 11-mile stretch known for its quiet, meandering route near neighborhoods, wetlands and wildlife.
But senators on the panel, including two with ties to the Utah Inland Port Authority, one of which also owns a trucking company, voted down the bill, blocking it from the Senate floor.
Under current law, trucks of all sizes — including semis — will be allowed to use the highway starting Jan. 1, 2020.
Ballard's HB339 was considered by the House Transportation Committee on Friday, but with only 30 minutes left of the committee's time to discuss the bill, lawmakers decided to continue the discussion until the committee's next meeting.
But even if Ballard's bill clears the House, it will still need to survive the Senate, where it failed to survive its first hurdle.
"The five years is important," Ballard said, urging the House committee to give Davis County cities more time to negotiate with trucking companies to figure out the Legacy Parkway's future.
Angie Keeton, of North Salt Lake, pleaded House lawmakers to give the bill another chance, noting that she purchased a home three years ago near the parkway, and her son currently attends a school located less than 1,000 feet from the roadway.
Keeton said she and other residents worry about what impact semitrailer traffic will have on their neighborhood's air quality and environment, and they're concerned about "preserving an amazing piece of Utah."
"Right now we don't believe this 11-mile stretch is impacting anyone from really succeeding as a business in Utah," Keeton said.
But Rick Clasby, executive director of the Utah Trucking Association, asked lawmakers to uphold the agreement to let the ban lift in 2020, calling the trucking industry a vital part of Utah's economy.
"We would urge you to honor the commitment made 10 years ago to remove the ban and allow trucks to operate on a valuable highway," Clasby said.
The ban was drafted in a settlement that ended lawsuits filed when environmental groups tried years ago to stop the freeway from being built in the first place.
The House committee's discussion the bill is expected to continue next week.
