I currently live in Salt Lake City, and as a concerned citizen I am writing to protest the construction of Legacy Highway in the wetlands. The construction of this highway needlessly destroys a vast area of these valuable wetlands. The recent rhetoric that has attempted to promote the farthest alignment west in the wetlands is extremely misleading to the public. They claim it only destroys 45 more acres and protects a lot of land to the west; however, no mention is made of the hundreds of acres of wetlands and uplands to the east that would be cut off from the lake and immediately open for development. Most of the lands to the west are already owned by duck clubs and they will continue to preserve those lands without the help of a freeway.
The idea of lowering traffic problems has been one of the central arguments for the proposed construction; however, new freeways usually serve only to increase traffic congestion in the area and worsen our already terrible air pollution. Unfortunately, UDOT has not taken into consideration other options that would help to reduce both of these problems while preserving the wetlands.I fail to understand why anyone would want to build a freeway on top of the wetlands, especially when there are other options to be considered, and why the public would allow it to happen. As many others have been, the wetlands should be preserved for the hundreds of animals that live there, including our national symbol, the endangered species, the bald eagle. I sincerely hope that the public will rally together and protest the construction of this highway so that the wetlands may be preserved and its precious inhabitants may continue to thrive.
Rebecca Vaughan
Salt Lake City