LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) began an Environmental Impact Statement in the spring of 2018 for Little Cottonwood Canyon and Wasatch Boulevard in partnership with Utah Transit Authority and the USDA Forest Service to provide an integrated transportation system that improves the reliability, mobility, and safety for residents, visitors, and commuters who use S.R. 210.
Ultimately, the partners seek to deliver transportation options that meet the needs of the community while preserving the value of the Wasatch Mountains.
EIS Project Team Presentation
Wasatch Backcountry Alliance (WBA) has invited the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) EIS project team to be guests on their digital roundtable, The Uptrack: Transportation Solutions for Little Cottonwood Canyon. The project team will be discussing the EIS process, alternatives and answering questions from the panel.
The project team will be appearing on Episode 6 on April 8, 2021 at 6pm, which will be live-streamed on the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance Facebook Page.
For those who cannot listen to the live event, the discussion will be recorded and posted on the WBA website and available via the major podcasting platforms.
ADDENDUM TO DRAFT ALTERNATIVES
UDOT held a public comment period from June 8 to July 10, 2020 to receive input on the draft alternatives presented in the June 8 report. As a result of public feedback, UDOT has added two new draft transportation alternatives as part of the Little Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The two new alternatives are a gondola from La Caille and cog rail from La Caille. The new alternatives were developed from the more than 6,500 public comments and will be carried forward for further evaluation in the Draft EIS.
The two alternatives join the three previously identified in June 2020 (enhanced bus service, enhanced bus service in a dedicated shoulder lane, and a gondola).
LCC EIS Draft Alternatives Screening Report Addendum Update - Nov. 20, 2020
UDOT Little Cottonwood Canyon EIS National Environmental Policy Act Process Video
STUDY AREA MAP
STUDY PROCESS AND TIMELINE
PUBLIC SCOPING
REVISED PUBLIC SCOPING
DRAFT PURPOSE AND NEED AND ALTERNATIVE SCREENING CRITERIA
ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT
DRAFT EIS
FINAL EIS/ROD
ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT
UDOT is studying transportation improvements in the EIS on S.R. 210, in and near Little Cottonwood Canyon. Some of the elements in the draft alternatives for the EIS could occur on what is currently National Forest System (NFS) lands, which are under management and decision-making authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service) and managed under the 2003 Revised Wasatch-Cache National Forest Plan.
To address potential amendments to the Forest Plan from the project alternatives, the Forest Service has released a Notice in the Federal Register that the Forest Service may need to make a decision to authorize use of National Forest System land outside the right-of-way and to amend the Forest Plan for that use if it is inconsistent with the current Forest Plan. The Notice can be found on the Federal Register or in the Documents section.
The Little Cottonwood Canyon Draft EIS is expected to be released in Summer 2021 and will provide a detailed analysis of the impacts to the social, economic, built and natural environment of each of the five alternatives and will identify a preferred alternative. A public review, hearing and comment period will be held at that time.
SUBMIT COMMENTS
CONTACT US
For more information on the transportation planning efforts underway on S.R. 210 and in Little Cottonwood Canyon or to share your ideas, please send the project team an email, give us a call or join the Facebook Group.
Write Us A Letter
Little Cottonwood Canyon EIS
c/o HDR
2825 E Cottonwood Parkway, Suite 200
Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
