Proposed Cottonwood Canyon Gondola Delayed As Lawsuits Pile Up
A slew of lawsuits that oppose construction of an eight-mile gondola to Snowbird and Alta have been filed in federal court, further delaying the highly controversial project.
Thus, the nine-mile commute up Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon to the two winter resorts may look the same for the 2024-2025 season, as the lawsuits have also put a halt to building a "mobility hub" at the base of the canyon and putting more buses on the route.
In consolidated lawsuits filed first in December by Friends of Alta and joined in April by filings by municipalities of Salt Lake City and Sandy, their metropolitan water districts and Save Our Canyons nonprofit, the opponents challenge the validity of a 2023 Utah Department of Transportation decision to build the world's longest gondola in order to relieve traffic congestion in the canyon. They claim that the environmental review was inadequate, especially in evaluating impacts on wildlife and water (the canyon watershed is a major municipal supply) were not sufficiently addressed.
The state transportation agency said it selected the gondola option over a road-widening option with dedicated bus lanes because the gondola would be a long-term solution to ever-growing traffic congestion. Plans call for 35-seat cabins going up and down the canyon at two-minute intervals.
The lawsuits also push any allocation decisions by the Utah state legislature down the road. Initial estimates placed costs at $729 million, but other analysts say the project will hit $1 billion if it is ever fully developed.
Anti-gondola groups have favored more traffic suppression actions -- expanded bus service, carpooling, tolls, road closures, paid parking reservations -- to relieve what has been a major traffic jam on weekends and powder days for years.
Because of the volume of skiers and riders driving up the canyon, parking has been an issue for many years, because the narrow canyon restricts parking capacities at both resorts. Snowbird and Alta strongly encourage taking free buses from Sandy, and they also give parking preferences to those who carpool.
Snowbird requires reservations through a "hybrid" system. To get one of 2,800 spots, there's a preferred parking season pass, a daily paid reservation system, valet parking for a fee, free carpooling lots (at least 4 per vehicle), and free lots a long walk from the lifts.
Alta has a Friday-Sunday parking reservation system online that costs $25, on a first-come first-served basis. Cost is discounted with online purchase of a day ticket and free with an Alta and Alta-Bird season pass.
