The parkway was controversial in its construction and was challenged in court several times before a compromise was met between the state and the Sierra Club, which limited the speed on the road and banned semi-trucks on the highway except in emergencies.

The compromise agreement restrictions had a sunset date of January 1, 2020, at which time the speed limit was increased to 65 mph (105 km/h) and trucks were no longer banned.

The parkway begins at an incomplete interchange with I-215 in extreme northern Salt Lake County near the Jordan River Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area.

After about 1⁄4 mile (400 m), Legacy Parkway enters Davis County, and heads northerly with two lanes in each direction through semi-rural Woods Cross.

The parkway then turns northeasterly and back north again, meeting 500 South at a diamond interchange, which also provides a connection to Redwood Road (SR-68).

Every year, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume.

[15] Initial construction of Legacy Parkway began in 2001; however, it was forced to stop as a result of lawsuits over the completeness of the environmental impact statement (EIS).

[16] A supplemental EIS (SEIS), which changed the routing of the highway as well as increased the amount of land to be part of the Legacy Nature Preserve, was completed in January 2005.

Some of the agreements reached include no billboards along the route, no semi-trailer trucks allowed on the parkway (except in cases where they are used in response to an accident or there is construction on I-15),[1] and a 55-mile-per-hour (90 km/h) speed limit.

[23] The highway was opened by then-governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., John Njord of UDOT and Stuart Adams of the Utah Transportation Commission on September 13, 2008 around 4:40 PM.