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SYRACUSE, Utah (AP) -- New homes are going up along the Legacy Highway's planned route through Syracuse, presenting a gamble for the residents and adding to the highway's future costs.
The likely route also goes through part of the Glen Eagle Golf Course.
Plans call for construction of the highway along the corridor in two parts, one to be completed by 2022 and the other by 2030.
"It's a tough situation," said Rodger Worthen, city planner. "The city wants to preserve the corridor, but the people own the land."
Buying homes and developed land is definitely going to be more expensive than buying vacant land, said Tom Hudachko, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation.
"Not only is it cheaper (to buy vacant land), but it's less disruptive to the community," Hudachko said. "The approach we prefer to take is to preserve."
But there's not a lot of money to preserve the corridor.
"It's no one's dream that Syracuse would have enough money to buy the corridor," said Craig Call, the state's property rights ombudsman.
"There ought to be a more regional or statewide approach. Since UDOT has higher demands on its funds and the Legacy corridor is further out, a legislative fix would be the answer," he said.
The city sought money from the state's Corridor Preservation Fund, but was turned down because the project is so far off and there are so many projects, Worthen said.
Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, wants to boost the Corridor Preservation Fund and help cities save the state money in the long run.
"We need to increase the preservation fund, and somehow create it to an extent that there's more incentive for the local municipalities to start planning for future transportation needs," he said. "This could be a huge answer to a looming problem."
That approach worked in keeping development from encroaching on Hill Air Force Base, Call said.
While Syracuse has been able to get some developers to not build in the corridor, encouraging parks or other green spaces, others have chosen to take their chances and build in the corridor.
People moving into the subdivisions along the corridor line have been warned that one day their yard may be facing a major highway, but most are unconcerned.
One homeowner, Molly Overby, said developer told them about the planned highway.
"I guess we don't think we'll live here long enough to let it bother us," she said.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
