LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) began an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the spring of 2018 for Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) and Wasatch Boulevard in partnership with Utah Transit Authority (UTA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture 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.
UDOT received 14,000+ public comments during the initial Draft EIS comment period and from the Draft EIS Revised Chapter 26 Section 4(f) & 6(f) Evaluation comment period. These comments were thorough and detailed, requiring UDOT to take the time necessary to conduct further evaluation and provide responses. UDOT anticipates that the Final EIS will be released this summer (2022). The Final EIS will identify a single preferred alternative to improve transportation in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Following a 30-day public review period after the release of the Final EIS, UDOT will identify the selected alternative for implementation in a separate Record of Decision (ROD) in the winter of 2022.
STUDY AREA MAP
STUDY PROCESS AND TIMELINE
PUBLIC SCOPING
Public Comment Period – March 9 - May 4, 2018
REVISED PUBLIC SCOPING
Public Comment Period – March 5 - June 14, 2019
DRAFT PURPOSE AND NEED AND ALTERNATIVE SCREENING CRITERIA
ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT
Public Comment Period – June 8 - July 10, 2020
DRAFT EIS
Virtual Public Hearing – July 20, 2021
Public Comment Period – June 25 - September 3, 2021
Public Comment Period – December 10, 2021 - January 10, 2022
Final EIS
30-day public review period
Record of Decision
CURRENT PHASE
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) received more than 14,000 comments during the Little Cottonwood Canyon Draft EIS and subsequent public comment periods. The record amount of thorough and detailed comments from the public has required further evaluation and agency coordination.
The public input received demonstrates the overall high level of interest in the project and the value of public comment periods, as UDOT revised the analysis contained within numerous chapters in the Draft EIS and opened up a second comment period for revisions to Chapter 26 which pertained to 4(f) and 6(f) evaluation. UDOT again received very thorough and detailed comments from the public that required further evaluation and agency coordination. While the end result is a comprehensive evaluation, it has also extended the project schedule.
UDOT continues to work through responding to all comments received. Due to the quantity and quality of the comments, responses to the comments are still being evaluated and drafted and will be published in the Final EIS.
The Final EIS will identify a single preferred alternative, and document the evaluation process and technical data analysis. UDOT has been coordinating with cooperating agency partners (agencies with regulatory authority and specialized subject matter expertise), local governments and non-governmental organizations, and state officials throughout the study and will continue to do so as the project team prepares to release the Final EIS.
To identify a single preferred alternative in the Final EIS, the State of Utah and UDOT will consider an alternative’s ability to substantially improve transportation-related safety, reliability, and mobility for all users on S.R. 210 from Fort Union Boulevard through the Town of Alta. The state and UDOT will also consider an alternative’s environmental impacts, which includes impacts to water quality, air quality, and visual and noise impacts, among others. Additionally, public input from the Draft EIS comment periods will inform the decision-making process.
UDOT anticipates that the Final EIS will be released this summer and will include responses to comments made during the Draft EIS and Revised Section 4(f) and Section 6(f) Evaluation public comment periods. Publication of the Final EIS begins a 30-day public review period.
UDOT will issue a separate Record of Decision (ROD) that will identify the final selected alternative for implementation, anticipated to occur in the winter of 2022. The ROD is the final decision to environmentally clear an action for implementation.
SUBMIT COMMENTS
Comments provided to the project team outside of formal comment periods will be reviewed and considered by UDOT as it develops the project but will not be included in the NEPA document. All comments received will be documented in the project record. The study team will contact you if they need additional information or clarification.
Comments provided during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to UDOT are a matter of public record and subject to public release, if requested. For more information, see the Terms of Use at the bottom of the Utah.gov website.
Comments that are publicly displayed through online tools must follow our UDOT Social Media Policy Participant Code of Conduct. Comments that are unacceptable under that policy may be removed at the administrator’s discretion.
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
