Big Cottonwood Canyon's main road reopened Monday morning after flooding and debris forced an overnight closure that rerouted downhill traffic over a mountain pass.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced at 7:49 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, that SR-190 is open in both directions, with flood control and debris clearing complete. The agency warned that more rain is forecast through midweek and weather-related delays remain possible.
The trouble started shortly after midnight. UDOT and the Salt Lake County Office of Outdoor Tourism and Safety jointly restricted uphill traffic on SR-190 at 12:35 a.m. due to flooding and debris on the road. Vehicles were turned around at the canyon mouth, with no estimated reopening time.
At 2:46 a.m., UDOT Cottonwood Canyons posted that crews were clearing a debris-clogged culvert at Storm Mountain, near milepost 4.25. Downhill traffic was rerouted through Guardsman Pass, the winding route over the ridge between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Park City, Gephardt Daily reported. The full road closure lasted roughly seven hours.
The flooding followed moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, which moved across Utah over the weekend. The National Weather Service (NWS) Salt Lake City had forecast 2 to 4 inches of rain across parts of the state from the storm system, with some localized amounts exceeding that. The NWS issued a Flood Watch on Friday, Oct. 9, through 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12.
As we reported Friday, the storm system posed particular risk to the Wasatch Front. ABC4 meteorologist Noah Price identified the Cottonwood burn scar as one of the areas of highest concern for flooding during the Rachel event. Monday's culvert blockage at Storm Mountain sits in that burn-scar zone, where fire-stripped hillsides shed water and debris faster than intact slopes.
Showers are expected to linger into the middle of the week as a slow-moving low-pressure system moves over Utah, KUTV reported. UDOT has not announced any scheduled follow-up inspections for SR-190.
Millcreek residents who use Big Cottonwood Canyon for commuting or recreation can monitor the UDOT Cottonwood Canyons account on X (@UDOTcottonwoods) for real-time road conditions.
