Utah — The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has a plan to fix the traffic issues in one of the Cottonwood Canyons. Surprisingly, it doesn’t involve a gondola this time around.
Yesterday, UDOT released its Big Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Assessment. For reference, Big Cottonwood Canyon is home to Brighton Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort.
According to UDOT, the following changes are being proposed:
- More bus service. This would result in buses running every 10-15 minutes and eventually reaching a bus every 5-7 minutes by 2050.
- Mobility hub at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon. This would include a 1,750-space parking lot and a grade-separated interchange on Wasatch Boulevard to reach the hub.
- Creating new bus stops at Solitude and Brighton that feature new indoor spaces for waiting passengers.
- Improvements to the existing bus stops located at Silver Fork, Cardiff Fork, Spruces Campground, and Silver Lake/Solitude Nordic Center.
- Introduction of tolling. It’s likely that residents of Brighton and employees would not pay for the tolls.
- Prioritizing bus services, improving operations and performance.
Two meetings are planned to discuss the proposal. The first is an in-person meeting at Canyon View Elementary on December 17th from 6-8 p.m. The second meeting will be held virtually via Zoom from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 18.
A public comment period is scheduled from Dec. 3, 2025, through Jan. 9, 2026. If you have thoughts on the proposal, you can submit a comment here.
Image/Video Credits: Utah Department of Transportation
