Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah — For years now, locals and tourists have debated whether a gondola is the ultimate solution to Little Cottonwood Canyon’s traffic fiasco. While the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) chose a gondola as its preferred solution in 2023, many remain against the development, sparking lawsuits.
The most noteworthy lawsuit comes from three sources. Originally, three separate lawsuits were filed against the gondola. One was from the Friends of Alta and Canyon Guard, another was from Save Our Canyons, and the third was from Salt Lake City, Sandy City, and the Metropolitan Water District. These lawsuits are concerned with the various environmental impacts of constructing a gondola, particularly on the watershed, which is used as one of the area’s local drinking water sources.
Last April, these three lawsuits were combined into one. It’s expected that the combined lawsuit against UDOT will be heard in court either later this spring or the beginning of the summer. If these groups succeed, it could make the decision void, meaning UDOT would either have to start from scratch on a traffic mitigation plan or restart the environmental review process for Little Cottonwood Canyon. If they can’t figure out a comprehensive plan because of the gondola proposal being struck down in court, Utah’s Legislature could be the one who has to figure out what to do.
Kevin Lind, a fellow for the Deseret Magazine, described the main argument of this lawsuit to KUER:
“At their core, these lawsuits claim or allege that UDOT did not do a thorough enough review of the environmental impacts the gondola might have. They allege that the entire process was limited or in some way kind of failed to consider all necessary elements. Most notably, Salt Lake and Sandy City and the Metropolitan Water District, which are part of the combined lawsuit, sued because they felt that the impact on the watershed was not included in the review.”
Earlier this month, a separate lawsuit was filed, which was from the Granite Oaks Homeowners’ Association. This group is situated near the base of the canyon, and UDOT wants to use part of their subdivision to reach the parking garages that would service the gondola. According to KSL, UDOT bought a lot that’s not allowed to be used for this purpose due to the Utah Transportation Finances Act.
Unfortunately, because of these lawsuits, the prior phases of these plans, such as adding tolling and more busses, could be delayed. UDOT is arguing that the lawsuit also ties up these projects, even though it seems that the opponents they’re narrowly focused on the gondola proposal. Opponents argue that this shows that UDOT is insincere in their attempts to reduce canyon traffic.
For more information about the gondola saga and what it could mean for conservation battles in the years ahead, click here to read an in-depth article from Kevin Lind of the Deseret Magazine.
Image/Video Credits: Utah Department of Transportation
