UDOT begins environmental study for proposed Big Cottonwood Canyon bus service, toll system

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation has started an environmental impact study to see whether it can move forward with an enhanced bus service and a toll system on SR 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

This is a separate project from UDOT’s plans to build a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

UDOT Cottonwood Canyons Transit Project Manager Devin Weder told KSL NewsRadio if they move forward with this, it would create a five to 10-minute bus service with stops and a toll system to help improve congestion on busy winter days.

“Busses are the right answer,” Weder said. “You can get 40 to 50 people comfortably on a bus and out of their private vehicles.”

Weder said they had been looking into congestion problems in the canyon for some time, and from what they’ve gathered, the canyon can’t handle more than 1,200 vehicles per day.

“Once you hit that number, you start to see travel times increase very quickly,” Weder said. “That says to me we can’t handle any more vehicles in the canyon.”

“We need to get people out of their cars and into transit so that we can maintain travel times while also getting people up the canyon,” Weder said.

Weder said they expect to have a draft summary of the study ready by next summer, which they will also take public comments on.

UDOT will also begin taking public comments on the study from Nov. 13 through Dec. 13.

The department will also hold two public meetings during this upcoming comment period.

The first meeting will be in person on Nov. 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Butler Elementary School in Cottonwood Heights.

The second meeting, which is virtual only, is on Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Zoom.

You can find more information about the study on UDOT’s website.

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