The Utah Department of Transportation is tackling the headache of winter traffic in Big Cottonwood Canyon with a new Environmental Assessment. The organization has proposed various improvements aimed at reducing congestion along the State Route (SR) 190 during the chilly months. This assessment includes a range of transit and infrastructure upgrades aimed at making the snowy commute smoother for Utah’s outdoor enthusiasts.
According to UDOT News, upgraded bus services are on the table, starting with 10-15 minute intervals in the winter and a goal of rapid 5-7 minute frequencies by the year 2050. The buses would operate out of a new mobility hub featuring an impressive 1,750-space parking structure, strategically located near the canyon's mouth to ease access. "Anyone who's tried to get up the canyon on a busy winter morning knows how challenging it can be," UDOT Project Manager Devin Weder shared, as per UDOT News, emphasizing the plan's objective to alleviate the frustrating backups by offering a "convenient, dependable way to ride the bus instead of sitting in traffic."
In a bid to further expedite bus travel times, UDOT is eyeing the addition of a bus-only transitway to bypass Wasatch Boulevard and a bus priority lane near Brighton Loop Road which will stretch from the Brighton Fire Station all the way to Brighton Resort, per UDOT forecasts, these could trim a crucial 5 minutes from the bus commute allowing for a more timely ascent to the snowy slopes.
Further enhancements include proposals for new indoor bus stop facilities at key resort locations like Solitude Mountain Resort and Brighton Resort, which promise to offer shelter from the cold with amenities such as seating, restrooms, and lockers, existing bus stops at other popular spots like Cardiff Fork and the Silver Lake/Solitude Nordic Center are also flagged for improvements to bring safer platforms and pedestrian crossings. UDOT isn't just stopping at bus-related upgrades, the institution is also mulling over a winter-season tolling strategy with dynamic pricing near Solitude Entry 1, potential exemptions for such tolls would be considered for canyon residents and those who work in the area, "The toll is meant to encourage people to ride the bus or carpool," Weder noted, as obtained by UDOT News, underlying the overarching goal of the proposal which is to overall enhance everyone's experience of Big Cottonwood Canyon, known to be one of Utah's busy winter hotspots.
