Little Cottonwood Canyon Update

Last December the Utah Department of Transportation (“UDOT”) announced a $250 million plan to begin implementing steps outlined in Phase 1 of UDOT’s three phased transportation project to reduce winter roadway congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon. This is part of the same project that selected a gondola as its preferred alternative for a long-term solution to traffic congestion.

Over the past two years, UDOT has repeatedly stated that it would not move forward on implementing Phase 1 improvements claiming that the ongoing litigation over the environmental analysis was preventing any action until that litigation was resolved.  As one of the original plaintiffs in the litigation to prevent a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon, it has always been Friends of Alta’s position that this claim was baseless. We are pleased to see UDOT acknowledge the need to take more timely action and undertake Phase 1. The UDOT action came after the plaintiffs to the lawsuits pushed for an agreement encouraging UDOT to take the very actions they had previously proposed.

The newly announced plan outlined by UDOT seeks to add approximately 30 new buses over the next two winters, said to increase bus frequency to Snowbird and Alta from every 30 minutes to every 20 or possibly every 10 minutes. This plan also includes infrastructure additions, including two new indoor facility stations at Snowbird and Alta Ski Area, and the building of a parking lot and mobility hub at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

To improve traffic flow, roadside parking would be eliminated beginning 0.25 miles below Snowbird Entry 1 and continue through Snowbird Entry 4.

Tolling would also be implemented for both cottonwood canyons. At a recent Alta Town Council meeting, UDOT Project Manager, Devin Weder, stated that while the way the tolling will be implemented is still being finalized, UDOT’s goal is for it to be effective and fair. Tolling will be taking place in both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon, and Friends of Alta believes it is vital that it be done in a way that does not disproportionately impact low-income individuals and families.

At a recent community meeting hosted by Alta Ski Area General Manager, Mike Maughan, Maughan argued that implementing a toll in the canyon would likely place an unfair burden on families with lower incomes, and that relying on buses to compete against the ease and comfort of driving to the resorts, especially for those who ski with young children, is simply impractical. Maughan also noted that the current plan does nothing to address many of the issues that he believes lead to canyon congestion, most notably, the issues caused by the clear inequity of merging downhill traffic at the end of a ski day between Alta Ski Area and Snowbird.

While the Phase 1 plan is not without its flaws, and many details are yet to be finalized, Friends of Alta supports implementing the common-sense solutions outlined in Phase 1 of UDOT’s three phase approach.

There are many issues still to be resolved.

UDOT is proposing large, heated bus stations with restrooms and locker facilities, similar to those proposed at the resorts in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Alta ski area has raised the question of whether such facilities are needed at all, and if so, they need to be environmentally appropriate, scaled and sited appropriately. We are hopeful that further analysis as part of approvals and permits will make even these infrastructures rational, reasonable, environmentally and economically appropriate for winter visitors during the ski/board season.

While this news is encouraging, the shadow of a potential 8-mile-long environmental “tragedy” still looms large over Little Cottonwood Canyon. As long as the gondola remains the endgame for UDOT, Friends of Alta will continue to oppose it.

2026-1-16 BCC Letter.pdf

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