UDOT Backs Bus Expansion and Winter Tolls, Rejects Gondola Plan for Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT - SnowBrains

"The Cottonwood Canyons in Utah are infamous for their infuriating red snake accessing the mountains. The 2022 gondola proposal up Little Cottonwood Canyon invigorated the public and UDOT received the most responses on any proposal ever, totalling 50,000; 35,000 against the proposal and 15,000 for it. Along with public reaction, three companies have sued to stop construction of the gondola which has stalled the enactment of the other resolutions such as busses and tolls."

""More buses. More tolls. No Gondola." is the essence of UDOT's proposal to aid the traffic problem up Big Cottonwood Canyon. UDOT recognizes the prevalence of this issue as all weekends, no matter the snow conditions, as well as pow days and holidays have almost inaccessible traffic up the canyon. They aspire to mend this problem with the most improvement possible along with the least impact."

UDOT proposes expanded frequent bus service, a bus-only lane, tolls, and a large parking garage to reduce congestion in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Current buses loop every 30 minutes; the plan targets buses every 10-15 minutes initially and a bus every 5-7 minutes by 2050. The plan includes a bus-only lane from the fire station to Brighton Resort and a gravel pit alongside Wasatch Boulevard reserved for buses. A pickup and a 1,750-space parking garage at the canyon mouth would serve bus travelers. Public opposition to a separate gondola led to 50,000 responses and litigation that stalled previous plans.

Read at SnowBrains