The saga of whether an eight-mile gondola will be put in Little Cottonwood Canyon will have its day in court.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Friends of Alta environmental group and prominent members of the local outdoor community have sued the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) over them choosing a gondola as the preferred alternative for mitigating Little Cottonwood Canyon’s traffic woes.

The ultimate goal of this lawsuit is to throw out the environmental study and record of decision by UDOT, thus stopping the construction of the gondola. The lawsuit alleges that UDOT didn’t properly analyze a variety of factors, including how this gondola would impact animals such as golden eagles and raptors, the area’s watershed, and the roadless areas of the Canyon.

Today, UDOT released the following statement:

Click here to read the lawsuit.

Image Credits: Gondola Works

Don't miss out!

Get the latest snow and mountain lifestyle news and entertainment delivered to your inbox.

This field is hidden when viewing the form
Newsletters
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Ian Wood became passionate about the ski industry while learning to ski at Mt. Sunapee. In high school, he became a ski patroller at Proctor Ski Area. He travelled out...