The proposed gondola project in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) is an outrageously expensive and unnecessary boondoggle that could cost Utah taxpayers up to $2 billion in lifetime costs – money that could be far better spent on practical, proven solutions like enhanced road maintenance and safety with dedicated canyon snowplows & additional winter buses.

This flawed project prioritizes a ugly, unproven, unnecessary monstrosity over effective alternatives that address traffic, safety, and environmental concerns. 

Utah's stunning Little Cottonwood Canyon is under threat from an aerial ropeway proposal that's ballooned into a growing projected lifetime $2 billion taxpayer-funded disaster.

Originally pitched as a traffic solution for skiers, the flawed project's costs have skyrocketed due to consultants,

sub-consultants, inflation, tariffs, insurance, construction challenges, lawsuits & poor planning.

For a fraction of the ski gondola's price tag, we could expand bus services and deploy additional snowplows to keep canyon roads clear, safe, increase throughput, and ensure reliable access without scarring the landscape with massive towers, cables and flashing FAA lights.

UDOT's snowplow operators are highly competent and capable professionals who work tirelessly to keep Utah's roads safe during winter storms. However, it appears systemic limitations and policies imposed by leadership—such as inadequate planning, funding and understaffing for snow removal—have created challenges that exacerbate congestion and safety risks in high-snow areas like Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC).

This under-resourcing appears to align with a "bucket system" policy where plows are deployed based on priorities, often leaving secondary routes like SR-210 as an afterthought. While every road deserves priority for clearance to ensure public safety, the current approach prioritizes major highways, leading to reactive rather than proactive maintenance in the canyons where snowfall is heaviest—resulting in heavy accumulation, spinning vehicles, and reduced throughput.

In previous winters, the lack of dedicated road maintenance in Little Cottonwood Canyon has led to poor conditions, including snow-packed roads, reduced visibility, and hazardous driving—exacerbating congestion and safety risks on SR-210.

The closest UDOT snow plow is parked 15 miles away in the Salt Lake Valley. When a storm hits, UDOT plows are dispatched by “priority” — and Little Cottonwood Canyon is not at the top of the list. I-80, I-15, Parleys all get cleared first. By the time a snowplow is dispatched the mountain road is already buried and gridlocked. Hence the need for wheel chains.

UDOT is also responsible for plowing the Alta Bypass Road — the narrow, steep service route connecting Snowbird and Alta that bypasses avalanche-prone sections of Hellgate and Superior. The Bypass is chronically neglected too, often becoming a snow-packed nightmare causing gridlock with 23 merge points.

Solutions are within reach.

Frequent Wind Closures on Existing Aerial Systems 

Documentation from @SnowbirdAlerts and @AltaAlerts on X reveals a consistent trend of wind-related closures affecting aerial lifts in the canyon aligned with the proposed gondola route. In December 2025, there were at least 10 instances of wind holds reported, impacting major lifts. These closures are commonplace during windy conditions, occurring frequently, sometimes on a daily basis, underscoring the canyon's known vulnerability to the high winds typical of the Wasatch Range.

Snowbird generally faces 20 to 30 wind-related safety closures each season.

The proposed LCC Gondola is scheduled to operate seasonally for 140 days with 22 staff members per shift.

However, historical weather data suggests the operational days may be reduced to 115 due to potential weather and wind-related safety closures. 

Click here for a deep dive blog post on the issue.

UDOT's extensive mountain of documentation from contractors & subcontractors

— totaling approximately 2,500 pages across Volumes 1-4 (~1,800 pages) and appendices/reports (~700 pages)

— has cost taxpayers $8.2 million dollars to date!

Yet fails to provide clear, basic facts on the gondola's functionality. Critical omissions include:

Limited Operational Capacity: The gondola is designed with cabins arriving every 2 minutes, each holding ~25 passengers with ski gear (35 max capacity w/o gear). This results in a realistic throughput far below exaggerated claims, with only 30 cabins in operation at peak. Basic math shows this system cannot efficiently handle high-demand scenarios, offering no meaningful public benefit for long-term planning.

Inaccurate Media Reporting: Outlets like Deseret News have misreported the gondola's capacity as 4,000 people per hour (PPH), a grossly inflated figure that ignores the EIS documents' specifications. Such misinformation distorts public perception and undermines informed debate.

Weather and Safety Vulnerabilities: The gondola will not operate during extreme winter storms, high winds, inter-lodge restrictions, or when SR-210 is closed for avalanche mitigation. This renders it unreliable precisely when canyon access is most challenging, leaving skiers, residents, and visitors without viable alternatives.

These gaps highlight a lack of accountability in UDOT's process, where consultants and subcontractors produced voluminous reports without addressing fundamental realities.

Exposing Misleading Claims by Gondola Works:

The defunct entity Gondola Works (GW) has aggressively promoted the project as the "CHEAPEST OPTION", disregarding UDOT's own 2022 cost escalation updates.

This company's inability to pay a mere $18 state renewal fee raises serious questions about its ethical practices & finances.

GW claims ignore escalating construction and maintenance costs, which far exceed alternatives like enhanced bus fleets and dedicated snowplows—solutions that could be implemented faster, at lower cost, and with broader benefits.

There is no public benefit or need to plan 15 years out for a system that will move FEW people, inefficiently in ONLY 30 cabins.

According to the UDOT EIS Annual O&M Cost: A gondola system would be a large investment, and UDOT or private operator would want to maximize its use and collect as much in fares as possible to pay for the gondola's capital investment and operation. The expensive system would also require employing 22 staff per shift.

UDOT's Tolling Scheme: Revenue Grab Masquerading as Congestion Fix

UDOT's LCC tolling proposal in the EIS reeks of a money-making scheme over genuine safety concerns, slapping a hefty $25 per car fee (ranging $20-$30, variable over time) on peak winter days to cut personal vehicles and push riders onto buses or the gondola.

This stands in stark contrast to UDOT's own low-key Adams Avenue Parkway toll, which costs just $1-$2 per car without fanfare, highlighting the inflated pricing in LCC that burdens families and low-income users (with token mitigations like off-peak access or subsidized buses).

UDOT doesn't even mention the words "Traction" or "Safety" in the tolling proposal.

Even more hypocritical, UDOT pledges to coordinate with the USDA Forest Service to minimize visual impacts from tolling tech like gantries or readers—avoiding ugly booths to prevent queues—while brazenly ignoring the gondola's 200+ foot towers and flashing FAA lights that would permanently scar the canyon's pristine aesthetics and wildlife habitats.

This cash-focused approach proves the gondola isn't about solutions or safety, but extraction; demand UDOT scrap it for affordable, non-intrusive fixes like expanded buses and QR-enforced traction laws instead.