PHOTOS: Avalanches tear out trees, threaten resorts, close Little Cottonwood indefinitely
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Little Cottonwood Canyon remained closed as of Wednesday afternoon as Utah Department of Transportation crews continue working on clearing avalanche debris.
UDOT extended a closure in Big Cottonwood Canyon, as well, announcing state Route 190/Big Cottonwood Road wouldn't reopen Wednesday. The department left open a chance that state Route 210 through Little Cottonwood might open in an early announcement.
However, that changed shortly after 11 a.m. with a tweet from UDOT Cottonwood Canyons, stating that Little Cottonwood, like its neighbor to the south, would also not be opening Wednesday.
Neither canyon had an estimated time of reopening as of Wednesday afternoon.
Since Sunday night, Little Cottonwood Canyon, which gives drivers access to Snowbird and the Alta Ski Area from the Sandy area, has been closed to through traffic.
Both Snowbird and Alta have received feet of snow during the past few days, adding to record-breaking season snowfall totals.
Both are also under interlodge as the threat of more avalanches persists, posing a danger to anyone outside. Like UDOT crews, those forced inside by the conditions don't know exactly how long it will take for the roads to be cleared of snow, boulders and hundreds of broken trees that were brought down by the slide.
"A substantial amount of avalanche debris exists on SR210," wrote Alta Town Marshal Mike Morey in a statement posted to the town's website on Wednesday morning. "Clearing this debris will be a large and time-consuming undertaking."
In an update posted to UDOT's Cottonwood Canyons twitter account, the department said debris clearing is ongoing.
"This amount of snow is unprecedented," according to @UDOTcottonwoods. "All are working slowly & methodically to ensure the safety of all travelers."
Wednesday's closure extensions are the latest in an overactive winter season that forced the closure of multiple canyons, multiple times, often leaving commuters with few choices to get where they were going.
Detours around canyons in Utah can add between 50 to more than 200 miles to a drive, if detours exist at all. And for mountaintop communities, like those in the Cottonwood Canyons, if an avalanche barricades the only road to the valley that's accessible in the winter, there's no other choice but to wait.
