Salt Lake City Is Unclogging Highways With An Eight-Mile-Long Gondola

Salt Lake City, Utah, is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world. Unfortunately, that invites hoards of people rushing to catch the freshest powder during prime season. In order to mitigate this issue, the state is thinking of eco-friendly ways to get people up the mountain without them having to drive their cars.
 
Congestion on the highway up through Little Cottonwood has become such an issue that the area starts having heavy traffic by 8 a.m. This is only made worse when there’s heavy snowfall in the area.
 
Avalanches, traffic accidents, and more could also put vacationers at risk. So the state is looking to save travelers and the environment by installing an eight-mile-long electric gondola to transport people up the mountain.
 
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is behind the potential move and hopes it will save time and eliminate emissions in the canyon. The move will use sustainable gondolas that can carry 35 passengers and host heated seats and even USB charging to make the journey as comfortable as possible. 
 
La Caille base station is being proposed as the starting point for the journey, where a 1,800-car parking lot will also be erected to host the large crowds. Afterward, the gondola will ride up and stop at Snowbird station and end at Atla station.
 
This project arises an excellent opportunity to make traveling around the city easier for visitors, and it could even aid in preserving the environment for future generations. However, it remains to be seen if people will use the gondola and relinquish the comforts and convenience of having a car.

 
 
 
[via Electrek and WBUR, Photo 28560507 © Fashionstock .com | Dreamstime.com]