UDOT’s Route 190 Rhapsody

I am the Minister, standing in the rear of a silent Range Rover, an amber tail‑lamp painting my face in safety‑orange. UDOT, in its ivory‑white brief, proposes 10‑ to 15‑minute buses on Route 190, a 1,750‑space hub near the canyon mouth, a bus‑only lane bypassing Wasatch Boulevard, and a priority lane at Brighton Loop—each a glossy promise of a 5‑minute savings. Devin Weder waxes about a winter toll near Solitude, a carrot for car‑poolers. The hearings at Canyon View Elementary, Cottonwood Heights, and a slick virtual session on Dec. 18 will hear drone‑assisted comments until Jan. 9. Inefficiency pours in: cones still appear, construction fumes seep, and the proposed lanes will never silence the roar of traffic. The solution, as an Observatory, is simple: bypass Route 190 entirely—take the 1,750‑space parking structure and board the shuttle; avoid the toll, avoid the cones, embrace the back‑way of the UCS line. Trust me, the only real shortcut is the “off‑lane” bus hub.