To the Utah congressional delegation:

We, the undersigned, join with Students for the Wasatch* in urging you to NOT pass funding for UDOT’s recommended Little Cottonwood traffic solutions, the gondola and road expansion. 

The gondola and road expansion proposals are incredibly expensive, both totaling at over half a billion dollars. Furthermore, the potential risk that construction within our watershed poses would require much more money to mitigate if any accidents occur, as has happened before. 

Lastly, we believe UDOT’s proposed solutions will also poorly affect tourism, as the construction will cause many years delay in mitigating traffic, an issue that demands an immediate solution. The construction period will increase traffic for years and the canyon’s reputation as a “red snake” will worsen and drive away customers. 

In opposition to UDOT’s proposals, we propose the solutions below. These would cost less money, create long-term jobs (eg. bus drivers, toll attendant, etc.) and solve the traffic and safety issue immediately without the risk to our watershed. These solutions could also serve Big Cottonwood Canyon and Parley’s Canyon to avoid the need for additional expensive construction projects. Additionally, the safety of a reliable bus service, and the enforcement of the traction law will move inexperienced drivers and summer-ready vehicles off the winter roads.

• Parking expansion: park-and-ride lots could be placed in various locations around the valley, such as college campuses and hotels, to reduce traffic going to the lots at the Cottonwood Canyons entrances
• Improved bus service: more buses to increase frequency.  Electric ski buses, such as these, should be considered.
• Year-round scalable transit: non-winter traffic is not nearly as congested so fewer buses would need to run in the off-season
• Multi-canyon service
• Disincentives to drive: This could include tolling or metering the canyon and prohibiting single-occupancy vehicles
• Traction law enforcement

Utah strives to be a fiscally responsible state, known for its unmatched growth in GDP and our legislature’s ability to balance the budget. It also upholds a reputation as some of the world’s best skiing. UDOT’s gondola and road expansion proposals will not adequately solve the traffic issue, nor preserve these important parts of Utah’s identity.

Students of the Wasatch 

*Students for the Wasatch are a group of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Utah dedicated to promoting improvements to the traffic issues in Little Cottonwood Canyon. We are a diverse group made up of students with varied interests including recreation, responsible tax-dollar spending, and those concerned about water quality.