A City of Mountains and Highways

Salt Lake City, Utah, is uniquely positioned between two sets of mountains. The Oquirrh Mountains form a gentle Western wall that hides the setting sun in the evenings. To the East, Wasatch Mountains tower over 7000 feet over their bases (11,000 above sea level), forming a nearly impassable barrier. 

Salt Lake City from the Wasatch Mountains

This creates a 30 mile long, 15 mile wide valley that contains about ⅓ of the population of Utah. I grew up among these mountains in a quiet suburb a 20 minute drive from Salt Lake called Sandy. Sandy on the foothills of Mount Jordan, one of Utah’s tallest mountains. It creates both a stunning backdrop and an easy way finder for anyone growing up in the area. 

I went to elementary school an eight minute walk away from my home. Because there were no major roads on the route, I would walk to school more often than not. But occasionally, we would go to Salt Lake City to visit my grandparents, go see a show, or to visit a museum. These outings were my first interactions with Salt Lake’s road network. However, the roads in the valley prove to be rather mundane, especially when compared to the rest of the country. There are several highways, stroads, and freeways, like any other major city in the country. What makes the road network so notable to me is what makes the city notable to almost everybody else: The Mountains. 

State Route 210

The Wasatch Mountains create a nearly impassable barrier to the East, However, it is not entirely impassable. As such, several roads exist that pass through the mountains. They are: Interstate 80, Emigration Canyon & East Canyon Road, and Guardsman Pass. Along with these, several other highways exist that ascend the mountains to serve ski resorts (and previously mines). All of these highways exist in canyons, as the mountain range is far too steep to construct a road on. These roads are critical to Utah’s economy. Interstate 80 carries much of Utah’s commercial vehicle traffic. Every single mountain pass carries ski traffic critical to maintaining the tourist sector of Utah’s economy. They are well maintained by Utah’s Department of Transportation. Each gets their own snowplow facility and team for winters, ensuring they stay passable 24/7 even in the worst of snowstorms. The roads themselves are impressive, both as feats of engineering and as scenic routes.

Four Main Mountain Highways

Alongside my drives on Salt Lake’s “mundane” roads, my parents would also take me to the mountains as often as they could. I remember looking out the window to steep canyon walls with amazement as we drove our way up. A few years later, I would enjoy the same views as I drove myself to work at a ski resort, or visited my friends who lived on the other side of the mountain or in the canyons. These drives hold a special meaning for me and several other people. These roads connect us to recreation, sports, friends, and most importantly, nature. They serve as the backbone for hiking trail access and countless other outdoor experiences. 

As special as these mountain highways are, both in their design and in their significance, they are, arguably, as mundane as the regular roads and highways in the valley. They are maintained to the standard of a high usage road and serve the same functions as them. Because of this, their effectiveness as modes of transportation is scrutinized in the same way that regular roads are. Recently, their effectiveness to transport has been deemed poor. Traffic jams have become more common (All the highways except I-80 are one lane roads), and people have been asking for changes to how we access the mountains in recent years. Among several proposals, two have come out as frontrunners for a couple of the highways. The first option is running gondolas into the canyons. This has been heavily opposed (up to 80% statewide) due to the fact that it would only serve ski resorts and not housing or recreation areas, as well as due to its environmental impact. The second option would be to increase bus service up and begin charging tolls for private vehicle usage. This option has been heavily favored thanks to its lower cost, equitability, and environmental impact mitigation. However, UDOT decided to go with the gondolas. Construction is not supposed to take place until 2031, however several projects in its anticipation, such as road widening in certain areas, have already begun to take place. I personally oppose the gondola, as it would generally decrease access to the mountains and increase prices to access overall. The pre-existing roads provide the least environmental impact with the most opportunity to expand transit systems. I hope Utah will reconsider the project.