FAQ’s

What’s the Problem?

The preferred alternatives aim to alleviate traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

EIS Chapter 1. Section 1.2.2.

  1. Unreliable travel times to/from ski resorts on some winter mornings/evenings

  2. Safety issues from road closures and traffic delays with the current avalanche-mitigation program

  3. Insufficient parking at ski resorts and trailheads

  4. Commuter traffic on Wasatch Boulevard

What solutions do Friends of LCC support?

Friends of Little Cottonwood Canyon advocate for commonsense solutions. These include increasing the number of buses, incentives for taking transit and carpooling, and transit that serves both of the cottonwood canyons.

 

Would a gondola improve air quality?

Based off of numbers in UDOT’s EIS, the Gondola will emit more CO2 than the Enhanced Bus Service on a peak day. When demand is lower than peak days, a bus-based transit solution can be scaled down whereas the Gondola cannot.

 

How much will it cost to ride the gondola?

Ticket costs have not been provided to the public. Alta’s Mayor Sondak has estimated a ticket to cost $111/person/day. And, we have looked at various gondolas around the world to see what others are charging.

What would a gondola look like?

There will be 22 towers averaging 184 feet and reaching up to 262 feet. For comparison, electrical transmission towers are 120 feet tall, which is shorter than the shortest gondola tower.

There will be 2 angle stations and loading stations at the base of Little Cottonwood, Snowbird, and Alta.