Sandy city officials are trying out a new traffic flow method in the hopes of cutting down the congestion around Little Cottonwood Canyon when it closes — which happened Wednesday morning as projected snow totals came to fruition.
In the event of a canyon closure, the city will allow drivers to line up in the bike lane and shoulder along Wasatch Boulevard’s northbound lanes, with the line starting at the intersection of Wasatch and Little Cottonwood Road, according to a news release from the city. Drivers will not be allowed to line up north of that intersection or along Little Cottonwood Road, which runs to the mouth of the canyon.
That plan went into use Wednesday morning, as the road was closed for avalanche mitigation, according to a tweet from UDOT. A traffic camera of the Little Cottonwood Road and Wasatch Boulevard intersection appeared to show there were already cars lining up along Wasatch’s northbound lanes.
The canyon was reopened around 10 a.m., with traction laws in effect.
Sgt. Greg Moffitt, a spokesperson for the Sandy Police Department, said though the line could stretch for miles, the city believes the new method will help organize a single line of traffic for powder hounds looking to head into the canyon, while keeping the rest of the nearby roads flowing for other people.
He said the city is trying to get people into the mountains as efficiently as possible.
“When we have a banner year of snowfall like we have this year, those skiers and snowboarders, all they want to do is get up there and enjoy that,” Moffitt said. “So we’re talking 1000s of cars on these canyon closure days that are just in line. And it just makes it really, really difficult.”
With the new system, Moffitt said those drivers who wait in line would be the first ones allowed into Little Cottonwood Canyon when reopened.
(Supplied | City of Sandy) The City of Sandy plans to have cars wait in line alongside the northbound lanes of Wasatch Boulevard when Little Cottonwood Canyon closes.
He added drivers lining up should not block driveways or intersections, as police are set to be out and monitoring Wasatch Boulevard. If a driver is blocking an intersection or driveway, an officer could tell them to move, and they would have to move to the back of the line.
“We’ll be able to have the intersection at Wasatch and Little Cottonwood Road flow as best as possible considering the canyon would be closed down,” Moffitt said. “What we had was gridlock from all directions, and so that’s what we’re trying to alleviate.”
In Big Cottonwood Canyon, the Brighton parking lot was full just after 8 a.m., and transportation officials encouraged those driving into the mountains to ride busses or wait until spots open up in the afternoon.
Traffic jams near the mouth of the canyon are just one of the many transportation issues that plague Little Cottonwood Canyon, where state officials are considering building a controversial eight-mile-long gondola to take skiers to the canyon’s two ski resorts.
Sandy’s new traffic flow plan could be used as soon as this week, as the National Weather Service is forecasting up to a foot of snow in valleys across the Wasatch Front, with more snow projected to fall in the mountains.
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