UDOT's gondola proposal still on table after public comments against project
SANDY, Utah (KUTV) — Many Utahns are continuing to speak out against The Utah Department of Transportation's proposal for gondola in Little Cottonwood to help ease congestion.
Opponents spoke with 2News as the Alta and Snowbird ski resorts, both located in the canyon, prepared for early opening days on Friday.
Snowboarder Stefanie Naden was one among several who said that they think a $550-million gondola isn't worth the money.
Naden said she feels strongly there are better solutions to ease traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon. She instead would like to see money spent on an improved bus system, which she said would address traffic concerns in both canyons.
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“The gondola still starts at the base of the canyon, so they’re talking about needing to get on a bus to get to the gondola, but you could get on a bus and just stay on the bus," she said.
Skier Scot Nielsen thinks buses would help, but of the people 2News spoke with this weekend, he was the only one who supported the gondola.
“I used to live right here at the base of the canyon, and there’s traffic no matter what," he said. "People are going to line up, and I would rather people park in a parking lot and take the gondola up."
In October, UDOT closed a public comment period on the project with 14,000 opinions submitted. 2News Investigates requested the comments and tallied them, finding that approximately 60% of commenters do not support the gondola, which is UDOT’s preferred option.
Rob Scott would like to see UDOT take a different approach. Having skied in Utah for the past 15 years, he thinks parking reservations would help alleviate traffic.
More on the proposed gondola from 2News
- City leaders drafting new response to Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola plan
- Utahns react to UDOT's recently announced gondola decision
- UDOT supporting Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola after environmental impact study
- Salt Lake County leaders reiterate opposition to Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola
“I think a good illustration of a better solution is what happened at Alta last year. They started requiring parking reservations, and that noticeably decreased the traffic last year," he said.
Stefanie Naden, who also opposes the gondola, thinks charging for parking would encourage more people to carpool.
“But if you’re going to charge for parking, there needs to be a better solution to get up here," she said.
Another skier suggested increasing parking at the base of the canyon so the buses are more accessible. Others addressed the concern of the gondola’s aesthetic impact on the canyon, saying, “it’s still going to be a beautiful canyon whether or not there’s a gondola. Infrastructure has to be here for people to get here.”
While UDOT said it's considering all the feedback, the agency hasn't backed away from the gondola option. A final decision is expected to come by the end of winter.
