The Transportation Coordinating Committee on June 15 reviewed a package of Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) board modifications that included a mobility package for Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons — featuring enhanced bus service, improved stops and shelters, tolling infrastructure and a mobility hub. Members debated whether to strip the proposed tolling funds from the package; a motion to remove the tolling equipment funding for both canyons failed and the TIP amendments remained in the draft TIP.

The package covers four mobility elements across both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. UDOT project manager Josh Vanjern said the combined capital cost for the four elements — enhanced bus service, resort-area bus stops and shelters, tolling infrastructure, and a mobility hub — is about $250 million, of which approximately $192 million has been identified, leaving a roughly $53 million shortfall. Vanjern said the shortfall does not include yearly operations and maintenance for the bus service, which he described as a separate decision.

The tolling element drew the most debate. Vanjern described the tolling objective as a behavioral tool: “The goal of tolling is to reduce the traffic on Big And Little Cottonwood Road by roughly 30%,” he said, adding that the 30% target was chosen to lower projected 2050 traffic to levels a two‑lane mountain road can handle. He said preliminary survey analysis suggested a toll in the $25–$30 range would be needed to reach that diversion, and that tolling would most likely use a combination of express‑lane passes and a license‑plate photo capture system.

Several committee members urged more analysis before tolling equipment is made a funded line item in the TIP. Kevin Cromer of the Utah Air Quality Board said he reviewed the EIS and other materials and “cannot come up with clear answers for what’s trying to be accomplished, why it’s a priority, how it will be accomplished, and mitigating unintended consequences.” He moved to remove $5 million for tolling equipment from the Little Cottonwood project and $5 million from the Big Cottonwood project while leaving the rest of the mobility package intact. The motion was seconded; following discussion, the motion failed and the proposed funding remained in the TIP package.

Federal Highway Administration representative Ivan Moreira reminded the committee that any formal tolling on a public facility would require a separate federal review under FHWA’s value‑pricing program. Moreira said FHWA would assess feasibility and impacts if a toll request moves forward.

WFRC staff and other members stressed that the tolling element is one component of the environmental impact statement (EIS) and the region’s preferred alternatives included in the 2023–2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Wayne Bennion of the Wasatch Front Regional Council said the RTP adoption and the EIS provide a phased approach that allows implementation and subsequent evaluation. Bennion and other WFRC staff also offered to assemble the technical analysis used to derive the tolling assumptions for committee review.

Committee members also reviewed a longer list of TIP board modifications (multiple pavement, bridge, ITS, and transit projects across the region) as presented by WFRC staff. Highlights discussed in the packet included: a new workforce development program using IIJA funds ($600,000), an automated vehicle counting/data collection program (~$4.7 million), storm‑drain and pavement rehabilitation projects, replacement of two locally owned bridges in Salt Lake City (~$14.4 million), environmental study funding for the West Davis corridor ($5 million), and scope/cost updates on major projects including the Legacy Highway and the 5600 South/I‑15 interchange (significant cost increases driven by right‑of‑way and construction inflation).

The committee also reviewed project‑specific details for the Big and Little Cottonwood mobility work. Josh Vanjern reiterated the anticipated near‑term schedule for the canyon projects: record of decision for Little Cottonwood expected this summer; environmental documentation for Big Cottonwood is anticipated to be a lesser‑level document; procurement and design to start immediately with an optimistic target of having transit service and amenities in place for the 2025–26 ski season, contingent on funding and permitting.

Votes and formal actions: the committee considered and debated the motion to remove tolling funds (mover: Kevin Cromer, Utah Air Quality Board); the motion failed and the tolling funding remained in the TIP amendment packet. The committee subsequently took two additional procedural votes on the set of board modifications and on releasing the draft TIP for public comment (see Actions section below for motions and recorded outcomes).

Why this matters: the mobility package is tied to a widely watched environmental study for Little Cottonwood Canyon and has prompted regional debate over whether tolling should be used explicitly as a demand‑management tool rather than a user fee. Because the package is tied to the regional TIP and the RTP, decisions about including tolling now make the concept more concrete and could accelerate design and procurement steps that commit capital funding, even as questions about toll rates, equity, and demand elasticity remain unresolved.

What’s next: WFRC staff agreed to provide committee members with the underlying technical reports and survey material used to estimate toll elasticity and diversion. UDOT said further decisions on toll rates, transit fares and operations will follow additional analysis and separate approvals; FHWA review would be required for any tolling program on a public facility.

Ending: Committee members asked staff to compile the technical analysis and to flag outstanding open questions (costs, operation/maintenance funding, equity and alternatives) as the region advances design and public outreach for the canyon mobility package.