Little Cottonwood EIS solutions should support creek quality and access for all
Authored by Brian Tonetti
We support an expanded, year-round electric bus system that services dispersed recreation throughout the year, bridging our east-west communities in the Salt Lake Valley, and providing canyon access for all residents. This should be coupled with tolling, carpool requirements, and other traffic mitigation strategies.
The Utah Department of Transportation began an Environmental Impact Statement in Spring 2018 to find solutions that “provide an integrated transportation system that improves the reliability, mobility and safety for residents, visitors, and commuters who use S.R. 210,” the road that services Little Cottonwood Canyon. Two preferred alternatives have been identified:
Enhanced Bus Service in Peak-Period Shoulder Lane
Gondola with La Caille Base Station
Other elements are also being considered including: snow sheds (concrete structures over the road to protect against avalanches), mobility hubs (large parking lots with transit service), widening and changes to Wasatch Boulevard, tolling or single-occupancy restrictions, and addressing trailhead and roadside parking. There is currently a 70-day comment period ending September 3, 2021.
The Seven Canyons Trust supports a solution that first and foremost protects the quality of Little Cottonwood Creek, which flows downstream into our communities. Secondly, we support solutions that provide access for all, bridge our east-west divides, and represent action now. Before spending half a billion in public dollars on either of the two preferred alternatives (money that could be used to enhance transit across the Valley), effort should be made to address traffic congestion through existing resources and infrastructure.
We must understand the carrying capacity of Little Cottonwood Canyon—the maximum number of people the canyon can handle before resource degradation. A formal study should be done to inform our long-term decision and its impact.
We support an expanded, year-round electric bus system that services dispersed recreation throughout the year, bridging our east-west communities in the Salt Lake Valley, and providing canyon access for all residents. This should be coupled with tolling, carpool requirements, and other traffic mitigation strategies.
We do not believe a gondola or road widening is the answer at this point. We should exhaust other less expensive options before pursuing permanent changes to our watershed and landscape.
We stand with Save Our Canyons, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, and many others who share similar perspectives on the Environmental Impact Statement.
We encourage you to submit your comments to the draft Environment Impact Statement. Diverse perspectives and innovative solutions will help us arrive at the best alternative. At this point, all ideas are on the table, so think creatively!
