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UDOT BCC Study: What You Need to Know (and How to Comment)

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As many of you know, new snow in the Wasatch is both a blessing and a curse. While we love powder days, canyon congestion can quickly turn excitement into frustration. Fortunately, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is taking action to address winter congestion in Big Cottonwood Canyon (BCC) through the Big Cottonwood Canyon Study, authorized by a bill passed by the Utah Legislature in 2023.

UDOT is planning to build a mobility hub at the base of BCC, increase bus frequency throughout the canyon, build improved bus stops at resorts and trailheads, and toll the upper canyon. 

Public comments are being accepted now through January 12, 2026, and this is the final opportunity for the public to weigh in on this project. There is a public open house in person this Wednesday and a virtual meeting this Thursday.

Learn more & comment

WBA’S PERSPECTIVE

Overall, WBA is pleased with this effort and the direction of the study. We have long advocated for better public transit in the Cottonwood Canyons using existing infrastructure, and while this project does introduce new infrastructure, it largely enhances the existing roadway rather than creating an entirely new transportation corridor.

WBA has been engaged since the beginning of the BCC Study and was invited by UDOT to participate in Stakeholder Working Group to represent the backcountry community. The full study spans hundreds of pages, and with only one part-time employee and many other ongoing projects, we are doing our best to thoroughly review the materials and submit a technical comment on behalf of WBA.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to review the documents on UDOT’s website, especially the Stakeholder Working Group presentation from 12/11, which includes helpful visuals.

Keep reading to learn more about the project and what WBA would like to see changed for the backcountry community.

WHAT

An Environmental Assessment (EA) is being completed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA evaluates the environmental, social, and recreational impacts of the proposed project. This public comment period is the last chance for the public to provide input before a decision is made.

Key elements of the proposed action include:

  • A four-story, ~1,750-car mobility hub at the gravel pit near the base of BCC
  • Improved trailhead bus stops at Cardiff Fork, Spruces Campground, Silver Fork, and Silver Lake
  • New resort bus stops (7,000–8,600 sq ft) at Solitude and Brighton, (including a UDOT equipment shed at the Solitude bus stop and a UDOT avalanche forecaster loft at the Brighton bus stop). 
  • Tolling in the upper canyon

WHO

  • Lead Agency: Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)
  • Cooperating Agency: U.S. Forest Service (USFS)

There are two separate comment processes: one for UDOT and one for the Forest Service. The agencies will share comments with one another, but jurisdiction matters:

  • If you are commenting on the mobility hub, be sure to comment to UDOT. The Forest Service does not have jurisdiction over the mobility hub.
  • If you want to preserve your ability to participate in the Forest Service objection period, you must comment directly to the Forest Service.

WHERE

The study area covers SR-190 from the intersection of Fort Union Boulevard in Cottonwood Heights through the town of Brighton.

WHEN

  • Forest Service comments due: January 9, 2026
  • UDOT comments due: January 12, 2026

Project timeline:

  • Study began: Spring 2024
  • Decision published: Spring 2026
  • Construction & bus procurement: as early as 2027
  • Construction completion: by 2030
  • Bus service would continue to ramp up to meet demand through 2050

WHY

In 2023, the Utah Legislature passed SB2, directing UDOT to reduce wintertime congestion in Big Cottonwood Canyon through enhanced bus service and tolling.

(If only the Legislature would use the same authority to address congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon…)

HOW

Through the EA process, UDOT and the Forest Service are evaluating environmental and social impacts. If no significant impacts are identified, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) would be issued, allowing the project to move forward.

What We’re Excited About for the Backcountry Community

From a high-level perspective, here are elements WBA strongly support:

  • Trailhead bus stops with roadside-mounted, pedestrian-activated flashing-beacon crosswalks at:
    • Spruces Campground
    • Silver Fork
    • Silver Lake
    • Cardiff (shortened HAWK crosswalk) 
  • UDOT—not ski resorts—would hold the Forest Service permits for the resort bus stops
  • Bus service every 10–15 minutes at initial operations (beginning around 2030), with a goal of 5–10 minute service by 2050.
  • Raised bus platforms at trailheads for safer pedestrian access

Updates We’d Like to See for the Backcountry Community

  • Exclude Guardsman Pass from tolling
    • UDOT has acknowledged uncertainty on how to implement this. If you have ideas, please include them in your official comment and share them with WBA.
  • Trailhead-only bus service to Cardiff Fork and Spruces Campground
    • This would prevent resort users from parking at trailheads and taking the bus to the resorts to avoid tolls
    • Could utilize the Solitude bus turnaround for trailhead only service
  • Better trailhead infrastructure (estimates)
    • Total project cost: $144.4 million
    • Solitude bus stop: $17.1 million
      Brighton bus stop: $10.7 million
    • All four trailhead stops combined: $0.5 million
    • We would like to see more funds allocated to the trailhead stops to include:
      • Enclosed waiting areas near raised platforms
      • Benches and exterior ski racks
      • Heated platforms to keep snow off (mentioned by the project manager but not in the EA)
      • Platforms large enough to be easily plowed and remain usable during storms

Updates We’d Like to See for Overall Project Success

  • Toll revenue dedicated to bus service
  • Automatic (non-manual) tolling to avoid additional traffic backups
  • Mobility hub planning for electric buses and future solar integration
  • Variable speed limits (similar to Parleys Canyon) to improve safety during storms and reduce crashes

Things We’re Not Thrilled About (but Not a Hill We’re Going to Die On)

  • Amending the 2003 Revised Forest Plan to allow a Solitude bus stop on undeveloped National Forest land (public lands)
    • We prefer that the Solitude bus stop be built on already-developed resort land, similar to Brighton Resort (which is giving up parking to do so)
  • Loss of some roadside trailhead parking in order to build the bus stops.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of good in this study, and we appreciate the work UDOT has put into addressing congestion while expanding transit access. Your comments matter, and this is a critical moment to help shape the future of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Please submit a comment before the deadlines and help guide the future of BCC:

Comment to UDOT before 1/12!

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