UDOT completes Big Cottonwood Canyon environmental study 
May 13, 2026

Transit improvements aimed at reducing winter traffic may begin as early as 2028

Today, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) issued a decision on the Big Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Assessment, which began in 2025. This decision allows the agency to begin final design, right of way acquisition, and construction of transportation improvements to alleviate winter traffic on State Route 190.

The planned improvements are designed to reduce winter congestion in Big Cottonwood Canyon by increasing transit service, improving bus access and encouraging more visitors to use transit instead of driving personal vehicles in the canyon.

“We’ve all experienced winter traffic backing up in Big Cottonwood Canyon,” said Devin Weder, Cottonwood Canyons transit program manager. “These improvements are designed to give people another reliable option to reach the canyon without sitting in hours of traffic.”

UDOT is planning several improvements to make transit a better experience for all canyon visitors. As early as the start of the 2028 winter season, travelers visiting Big Cottonwood Canyon can look forward to:

  • Frequent Bus Service: Buses leaving the new mobility hub every 10-15 minutes initially and every 7 minutes to each resort by 2050. 
  • More Parking for Bus Riders: A new 1,750-stall parking structure and mobility hub (a convenient place to park cars and get on a bus) near the mouth of the canyon.
  • Better Parking Access: A new grade-separated intersection on Wasatch Boulevard to access the mobility hub.
  • Improved Bus Stops: New indoor bus stops at Solitude Mountain Resort and Brighton Resort, along with better safety features, platforms and pedestrian crossings at the existing bus stops located at Cardiff Fork, Spruces, Silver Fork, and Silver Lake/Solitude Nordic Center. 
  • More Efficient Bus Operation: A dedicated bus-only transit-way at the gravel pit mobility hub and a bus priority lane at the Brighton Loop to help buses move past traffic queues.
  • Better Traffic Management: A variable-priced toll to reduce congestion and improve bus efficiency by encouraging carpooling and transit use. 
An illustrated topographic map shows the winding blue path of SR-190 through Big Cottonwood Canyon. On the far left, at the canyon base, callouts identify a Grade-Separated Interchange on Wasatch Blvd and a Mobility Hub with 1,750 Parking Stalls. Moving up-canyon, orange icons indicate Bus Stop Improvements at Cardiff Fork, Spruces Campground, Silver Fork, and Silver Lake. Green icons mark the Solitude Mountain Resort and Brighton Resort bus stops. A blue label indicates Tolling Starts Below Solitude Entry 1, and a yellow line highlights the Bus Priority Lane around the Brighton Loop.

The cost for the proposed improvements is estimated at $264.5 million, though $114 million is already programmed from the Little Cottonwood Canyon improvements for the mobility hub at the gravel pit and Wasatch Boulevard interchange.

“This is about making canyon travel more predictable and less stressful,” Weder said. “More frequent buses, better access and improved traffic management will help people spend less time waiting in traffic and more time enjoying the mountains.”

For more information on the completed environmental study, please visit udotinput.utah.gov/bccstudy.

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