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UDOT outlines plan for tolling, frequent buses and mobility hub in Big Cottonwood Canyon study
Summary
UDOT told Brighton council it is pursuing environmental clearance under a study derived from 2023’s Senate Bill 2 to enable enhanced winter bus service, resort bus stops, a mobility hub and tolling; the agency said buses could run every 5–10 minutes and that tolling would likely be a license-plate billing system rather than an HOV-based exemption.
UDOT and its consultants presented a preliminary scope for the Big Cottonwood Canyon environmental study, saying the effort aims to clearuses of funds authorized in the 2023 Utah Senate Bill 2 for enhanced bus service, tolling, a mobility hub and resort bus stops.
"The preliminary project purpose is mostly derived from the Utah state legislature bill Senate Bill 2," UDOT transit project manager Devin Weider said, describing the study area from Fort Union Boulevard and SR-190 up to Brighton Resort. He said the study’s purpose is to obtain environmental clearance so the state can use those funds to reduce wintertime congestion.
Consultant Terry Warner summarized the need: rising visitation and population growth along the Wasatch Front have increased peak winter demand, and modelling shows uphill travel times could nearly double by 2050 without intervention. Warner said current winter peak vehicle volumes can exceed what the road handles and that 90% of winter travelers are headed above Solitude entry 1.
UDOT described four main features under study: a frequent enhanced bus service, resort bus stops (enclosed, heated waiting areas), improvements to existing stops (Cardiff, Spruces, Silver Fork), and a mobility hub at the canyon mouth. Weider said modelling envisions buses leaving the hub every 5 to 10 minutes and that planners are modeling a comfortable bus capacity of about 50 people, while noting buses can carry more when fully loaded.
On tolling, Weider told council members the study will not commit to one technology. "HOV technology doesn't really work unless you have someone looking in your car," he said, then added that tolling would most likely be automated: "It would read your license plate and then send you a bill," meaning occupant-based discounts would be difficult to implement by roadway detection alone.
Council members and residents raised concerns about how tolling might shift traffic between canyons and create new congestion at turnarounds such as Cardiff. A public commenter asked whether tolling could be applied only at Solitude entry 1; Weider said exemptions for local residents are technically possible and "it's something we're looking into," but that the study will avoid prescribing an exact implementation so as not to limit future implementers.
Speakers also discussed interim steps for the coming ski season. Weider said some implementation items such as procurement and parking-structure construction could take roughly two years from contract start, while tolling might be delayed pending litigation elsewhere (he referenced Little Cottonwood litigation) that could affect timing.
UDOT announced a 30-day public comment period opening tomorrow and running through December 13, with public meetings and online comment channels. The study team said they expect to complete the environmental work in roughly 18 months and issue a record of decision the following winter, subject to public input and legal timelines.
What happens next: written comments will be accepted through Dec. 13, and UDOT will hold public open houses; the study team plans additional meetings with Brighton during the scoping and study phases and will return to the community with more detailed operational analyses.
