UDOT finalizes its plan to handle travel in Big Cottonwood Canyon

KEY TAKEAWAYS

UDOT finalizes a plan to improve traffic flow in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
The plan includes a new parking structure, increased bus service and variable-priced tolls to reduce congestion.
Implementation may start in 2028 with a projected cost of $264.5 million.

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Utah transportation officials have finalized a plan to gradually increase ski bus service and introduce tolling in Big Cottonwood Canyon, as it seeks to handle transportation woes within the popular recreation area.

The Utah Department of Transportation issued a record of decision on its Big Cottonwood Canyon environmental assessment on Wednesday, a formal move that allows the agency to begin working on final project designs and other important measures before concepts turn into reality. It comes months after it unveiled its preferred options for the project.

"These improvements are designed to give people another reliable option to reach the canyon without sitting in hours of traffic," said Devin Weder, the agency's Cottonwood Canyons transit program manager.

Tyrese Boone, KSL

The project features several elements, some of which will be shared with UDOT's long-term vision for Little Cottonwood Canyon. It calls for a new 1,750-stall parking structure and mobility hub near the intersection linking Fort Union and Wasatch boulevards close to the mouth of the canyon.

People can park there and grab a bus that would have a 10- to 15-minute frequency up the canyon, with a goal of 7-minute frequency by 2050. That's a boost from Utah Transit Authority's current service, which offers 30-minute frequency from a route that runs between Fort Union Station in Midvale and Brighton.

It also calls for a new grade-separated intersection on Wasatch Boulevard for people to better access the mobility hub, along with a dedicated bus-only transitway at the mobility hub and a bus priority lane at the Brighton Loop to improve the bus travel efficiency.

New indoor bus stops are to be built at Solitude Mountain Resort and Brighton Resort up the canyon, as part of the plan. Platforms, pedestrian crossings and other safety features are to be included at existing stops located at Cardiff Fork, Spruces, Silver Fork and Silver Lake/Solitude Nordic Center, as well.

UDOT is also looking to implement a variable-priced toll that would help reduce congestion by encouraging carpooling and transit use. That could involve some amount of money to access the canyon if traffic demand is high. This may also improve bus efficiency by removing cars from the road.

"This is about making canyon travel more predictable and less stressful," Weder said. "(These) will help people spend less time waiting in traffic and more time enjoying the mountains."

Skier traffic is backed up on Wasatch Boulevard at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon on Jan. 24, 2021. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

Wednesday's ruling concludes a process that began in 2024 and included a lengthy public process. State transportation officials estimate that the projects, combined, can create 25-minute travel times up the canyon by 2050, about half of what's expected without them.

UDOT says it may begin to implement some of these features as early as the start of the 2028 winter season. The full buildout is projected to cost $264.5 million, but that also includes Little Cottonwood Canyon transportation.

The agency's plans for Little Cottonwood Canyon include bus service and tolling, road widening and snow sheds, and eventually a gondola as part of a three-phase plan released in 2023. None of those phases has been implemented yet because of litigation tied to the gondola element.

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