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.
Draft EIS Information
UDOT has identified two preferred alternatives to improve transportation in Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Draft EIS, the Enhanced Bus Service in Peak-Period Shoulder Lane as the alternative that best improves mobility and the Gondola Alternative B (base station from La Caille) as the alternative that best improves reliability.
In addition to the preliminary preferred alternatives, other elements have also been developed that would be combined to support each alternative. These include snow sheds (concrete structures built over the highway to keep it clear of snow in case of avalanches); mobility hubs (larger-capacity park-and-ride lots with transit service); widening and other improvements to Wasatch Boulevard; tolling or single occupancy restrictions; addressing trailhead parking and eliminating winter roadside parking above Snowbird Entry 1.
UDOT completed a 70-day public comment period for the Draft EIS on September 3, 2021 and is in the process of reading, reviewing, and providing a response to each formal comment. The public comments and the responses to those comments will be available for public review in the Final EIS.
View Draft EIS Materials
LCC Draft EIS Preferred Alternatives Overview - June 25, 2021
LCC EIS National Environmental Policy Act Process Video
PUBLIC HEARING INFORMATION
In-Person Public Hearing
July 13, 2021 4:30-8:30pm
Butler Middle School, Cottonwood Heights, UT
Little Cottonwood Draft EIS Public Hearing Recording - July 13, 2021
Virtual Public Hearing
July 20, 2021 6:00-8:30pm
Zoom Webinar
Little Cottonwood Draft EIS Public Hearing Recording - July 20, 2021
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
Public Comment Period – June 8 - July 10, 2020
ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT
DRAFT EIS
Virtual Public Hearing – July 20, 2021
Public Comment Period – June 25 - September 3, 2021
FINAL EIS/ROD
CURRENT PHASE
UDOT Review of More Than 13,000 Draft EIS Public Comments Underway
The public comment period for the Little Cottonwood Draft EIS recently concluded on Sept. 3 and UDOT received over 13,200 comments during the 70-day public review and comment period. The large amount of comments represents the most public comments UDOT has ever received on an environmental study, illustrating the importance of Little Cottonwood Canyon to the community, the variety of stakeholders involved and the challenge of identifying transportation solutions in the canyon. For comparison, the Little Cottonwood Canyon EIS has received more than four times the public comments of any other project.
The project team applauds the amount of comments and thanks everyone who took the time to participate in this very important process, as public input is avital part of informing the EIS process. The next step in the EIS process is for UDOT to read, review, consider, and provide a response to each formalcomment in the Final EIS. UDOT’s project team is committed to take the time necessary to properly review and consider every comment received during the official comment period, with a response provided in the Final EIS. The public comments and the responses to those comments will be available for public review in the Final EIS.
The project team will also revise the Draft EIS, as appropriate, based on the information received during the comment period, and this will be included in the Final EIS. This thorough and detailed process by the project team ensures proper consideration of public input, combined with the technical data analysis.
SUBMIT COMMENTS
Comments made outside of formal comments are used for informational purposes to help the project team identify potential resources and understand potential concerns that are important to stakeholders. All comments received will be documented in the project record. If the project team needs additional information, you will be contacted; otherwise, no response will be provided by UDOT.
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.
Comments provided to UDOT during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process are a matter of public record and are subject to public release, if requested. For more information, see the Terms of Use at the bottom of the Utah.gov website.
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
