Transportation
The future of the Wasatch depends on how we move people to and through these mountains. For decades, Save Our Canyons has advocated for transportation solutions that protect watershed resources, reduce congestion, and preserve the wild character of the Wasatch. Explore the issues, plans, and opportunities shaping transportation across the Wasatch Mountains.
Wasatch Canyon Transit: Where Things Stand Today
Little Cottonwood Canyon: Phase 1 Finally Moving Forward
When the Utah Department of Transportation released its Record of Decision on the Environmental Impact Statement for its Little Cottonwood Canyon plan, we were aghast. We could not believe they decided to include a gondola that, by their own account, would not help fix the problem they set out to solve. From our perspective, the gondola would do irreparable harm to the beauty and wildness of the canyon. So, we filed a joint lawsuit with our partners at Salt Lake City, Metro Water, Friends of Alta, and Canyon Guard. This lawsuit has been a safeguard against a very bad plan from playing out.
Unfortunately, for years, UDOT used it as leverage to also not move toward parts of the EIS that we agree with, like enhanced busing.
But, in late 2025 and early 2026, UDOT announced they were going to work toward busing in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We know that these plans cannot happen in silos. Working toward busing in one canyon will have impacts on the other.
So, we were very glad to see that near the end of 2025, UDOT announced it would work toward Phase 1 of their EIS, much of which we agree with.
Today, we are working with all the stakeholders to make sure that this plan is successful. We are continuing to advocate for elevated service levels, increased timing, and efficiency of the buses themselves. We are also working with UDOT and partners like Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, Canyon Guard, and the Town of Alta and Alta Ski Area to make sure these plans are comprehensive and fit the character of the place we all love.
We will keep you updated on the project as more plans come to light.
Big Cottonwood Canyon: A New EA — and a Final Decision
Following the direction of Senate Bill 2 (2023), which directed UDOT to provide enhanced bus service, tolling, a mobility hub, and resort bus stops for both canyons, UDOT launched its environmental study for Big Cottonwood Canyon (BCC) in 2024. Source: UDOT
The plan released in December 2025 centers on buses, tolls, and no gondola. The canyon is already at capacity, with congestion on every busy weekend regardless of conditions. UDOT issued a Record of Decision in May 2026, formally allowing the agency to begin final design and right-of-way acquisition. The plan calls for a 1,750-stall parking structure and mobility hub near the Fort Union/Wasatch Boulevard intersection. Known as the Gravel Pit Hub, this will service both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.
The plan also has bus service increasing from the current 30-minute frequency to 10–15 minutes, with a goal of 7-minute frequency by 2050, a dedicated bus-only transitway at the mobility hub, a bus priority lane at Brighton Loop, and a variable-priced toll to reduce congestion and encourage transit use. The total projected cost is $264.5 million, with implementation potentially beginning in 2028. Sources: The Salt Lake Tribune KSL
The study projects that bus travel times could improve from nearly 36 minutes today to approximately 25 minutes by 2050 — about half of what’s projected without these improvements. Source: KSL NewsRadio
Save Our Canyons has long held that transit, not gondolas or rail, is the right solution for the canyons. SOC believes the best method to improve transportation while preserving wilderness character is a reliable, affordable, and efficient shuttle system using vans and buses — one that is operational year-round and serves all canyon visitors: resort skiers, dispersed users, hikers, resort employees, and summer visitors alike. On the BCC Environmental Assessment, SOC expressed measured support for the proposed action but flagged key gaps: the EA only addresses wintertime congestion, does not improve year-round transit, and does not adequately account for connection to regional transit networks. We are urging UDOT to expand the scope to include year-round service and better integration with UTA and the Wasatch Front Regional Council.
The Big Picture
After years of gridlock (pun intended), both canyons are now on a path toward real, near-term transit improvements built around buses, tolling, and mobility hubs. The gondola question in LCC remains alive in federal court, but its construction, if it ever happens, is decades away. The conservation community is largely united: get buses running, connect them to the regional network, make them year-round, and then evaluate whether any further infrastructure is actually needed. The 2034 Winter Olympics loom as a critical forcing function, putting added urgency on delivering a canyon transit system that actually works.
Wasatch Front Transit & Transportation: History, Challenges, and Solutions
In the coming year, Save Our Canyons will work with partners from across the nonprofit, municipal, and community spaces to produce a comprehensive and collaborative vision for what future transit between Salt Lake Valley, the Wasatch Front, and Back could look like.
Read on to learn more about where we came from when it comes to transit, and where we could be headed.
Historical Background
In March 1969, local elected officials from Davis, Salt Lake, and Weber counties organized the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) as a volunteer organization to address regional problems and comply with requirements for federal grants. It has since grown into a formal Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) responsible for long-range transportation planning across the region. Source: WFRC
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) was launched in 1970 to operate city buses and became a railroad operator in 1999, when a 17-mile light rail line — built in anticipation of the 2002 Winter Olympics — began running between Sandy and Salt Lake City. Building 140 miles of new TRAX and FrontRunner transit lines over subsequent decades helped address both congestion and air quality. Sources: Ellis Simon, The Salt Lake Tribune
Today, UTA operates the 45-mile TRAX light rail system with 51 stations and three routes, as well as FrontRunner, an 82-mile regional commuter rail line between Ogden and Provo via Salt Lake City that began operations in 2008, and the S-Line, a two-mile streetcar in Salt Lake City. Source: Ellis Simon
Population Growth & Congestion
Utah’s population is expected to nearly double by 2060, placing enormous pressure on roads, air quality, and mobility. I-15, the region’s primary corridor, currently handles over 250,000 daily trips. Travel demand in Utah has been growing at roughly 4% every year, and the number of daily vehicle trips was projected to double by 2030. Source: Utah Frontlines 2015Adding more highway lanes has not solved the traffic problem — billions were spent widening I-15 and other corridors, yet congestion has continued to worsen. Source: RANGE: Journal of Undergraduate Research
Air Quality
Among the nation’s worst winter inversions occur along the Wasatch Front, where high-pressure weather systems trap air — and all the pollution added by human activity — in the valley. These inversions produce red air quality days and significant health consequences for sensitive populations.
Canyon & Mountain Access
The Central Wasatch Mountains are more heavily used than all of Utah’s National Parks combined, and they serve as the primary source of drinking water for more than 450,000 valley residents. Traffic to ski resorts and trailheads in Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons has become a serious seasonal crisis, with roads regularly gridlocked on powder days. Source: CWC
Transit Gaps & Car Dependency
Nationwide, Utah has the third-highest rate of car ownership, and the resulting air pollution from on-road vehicles has significant implications for the climate and public health. Bus service remains infrequent in many suburban and mountainous areas along the Wasatch Front, and first/last-mile connectivity to rail stations is a persistent barrier to ridership. Source: USU
Limitations of the Current System
- Funding imbalance: The Wasatch Front Regional Council has historically planned to spend roughly three times as much on roadways as on transit — approximately $15 billion on roads versus $5 billion on transit in one planning cycle.Source: Treton Douglas
- Suburban sprawl: The region’s car-oriented development patterns make it difficult to serve many communities with effective transit.
- FrontRunner frequency: The commuter rail runs infrequently and is largely oriented around peak-hour commuters, limiting its usefulness for off-peak or reverse commuters.
- Canyon bottlenecks: Transportation issues in the Wasatch canyons have been worsening for decades and were the subject of plans and studies without implementation until recently, when the state appropriated more than $60 million in 2017 to address Little Cottonwood Canyon problems. Source: CWC
Potential and Proposed Solutions
Expanded Rail and Busing
At Save Our Canyons, we believe that rail is a great long-term solution to regional pressures. We are currently working on a plan that would address inequities and inefficiencies in the system. Rail would be integral in this process.
In the short and mid-term and for canyon transit solutions, we strongly believe that an enhanced bus program would go a long way in alleviating much of the pressure on the Central Wasatch in all seasons. Better, but service is on the near horizon. For the winter of 2028, UDOT will take over the bus service for the canyons and restart 10-15 minute service levels. This, paired with the creation of the “Gravel Pit mobility hub” and tolling starting at the ski resort driveways, will help get people out of their cars and onto the buses.
At SOC, we remain committed to seeing the success of these bus plans. We have worked closely with communities and stakeholder groups, as well as the WFRC and UDOT, to provide input on the projects and help steward them in a direction that accomplishes our mission at SOC, as well as creates a system that helps people enjoy the mountains.
UTA is also planning a fourth TRAX route set to open ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics. Source: Ellis Simon
Zero-Fare Transit
Investing in a zero-fare transit system has been shown to be one of the fastest ways to increase sustained ridership for a lower cost than any other investment, and zero-fare transit has been the focus of recent conversations at both the regional and state level.
Canyon Traffic Management
The Central Wasatch Commission has advocated for variable tolling, limited access for single-occupancy vehicles, carpool programs, expanded bus service, and parking management outside of the canyons as immediate first steps, regardless of what long-term transportation mode is ultimately chosen for Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Transit-Oriented Development
The WFRC has certified 72 Station Area Plans guiding development around rail and bus rapid transit stations throughout the region, paving the way for more than 75,000 new housing units in walkable, transit-accessible locations.
Sources: WFRC
Electrification
UTA has put several electric buses into service in Salt Lake City and Ogden, with plans to electrify more buses, vans, and the FrontRunner commuter rail system. Source: USU
The Wasatch Front faces a classic western growth dilemma: a car-dependent landscape colliding with a uniquely constrained geography, with mountains on one side, the Great Salt Lake on the other, and a population that continues to grow. The region has made meaningful investments in rail transit, but the pace of road building has consistently outpaced transit investment. The 2034 Winter Olympics present both a significant deadline and an important opportunity to accelerate transit improvements and demonstrate to the world, and to Utah residents, that a less car-dependent future is achievable.
