Could the Heber Valley become a car-free destination for visitors when the 2034 Winter Games hit? Wasatch County leaders planning for the Olympics hope so.
Walking, buses, biking — Olympic Games planners and organizers plan to utilize all modes of transportation to their advantage come 2034. Having that vision come to fruition, though, requires careful planning in Midway City, Heber City and Wasatch County.
Heber Valley Tourism Executive Director Dallin Koecher attended the Milano Cortina Winter Games and walked into Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, wondering what his hometown could learn from this year’s Olympics.
His biggest takeaway was the impact productive transportation systems had on the event. Koecher witnessed more than 19,000 fans eager to watch Olympic competitions in Cortina d’Ampezzo. He said most got around by public transportation or simply by walking from place to place.
But Koecher said that, because the Winter Games were spread across the Dolomites from Milan to Cortina d’Ampezzo and Livigno, transportation from one Olympic venue to another took hours at best. The drive from Milan to Cortina d’Ampezzo is approximately four hours by car and six hours by bus. It’s also about a four-hour drive from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Livigno.
“Transportation was a little unclear, and I think we have an opportunity to prepare transportation for our community,” Koecher said.
The 2034 Winter Games will be easier on travel times. The Olympic village will be located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. Events will be centered around Salt Lake City. Additional competitions will take place in Park City, Snowbasin, Provo and at Midway’s Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
Part of planning for transportation includes getting creative with transportation options. Soldier Hollow Nordic Center manager Luke Bodensteiner attended this year’s Paralympic Games in Tesero, Italy. Bodensteiner said he was impressed with the number of individuals who would walk 30 minutes or more to access certain events or venues.
Bodensteiner said that’s one thing that can be leveraged in Midway. There are plenty of walking and biking trails already in use, he said. But more can be added.
Because, while there were 19,000 spectators when Koecher was in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Bodensteiner witnessed 15,000 spectators in Tesero. He said that Soldier Hollow Nordic Center will play host to both crowds in 2034.
Bodensteiner said the necessary improvements that must be made should also have an “afterlife” in Wasatch County. He said that any upgrades to city and county transportation should be made with the long term in mind so that residents of the Heber Valley and beyond can continue utilizing those benefits.
Bob Allen, the transportation program manager for the Mountainland Association of Governments, said his team has already begun a deep dive into the analysis of projects coming down the pipeline.
“(We’re looking at) where are the best investments that we can make,” Allen said. “We want to make these investments last well beyond the Olympics.”
Allen said transportation planning is a huge portion of preparing for the Olympics. Utah Department of Transportation’s Carlos Braceras is chair of one planning group looking at long-range transportation projects and considering what needs to be sped up.
However, Allen said there isn’t “a large bucket of money waiting for transportation projects” to be built. Allen said transportation planning must happen within the UDOT’s budget for regionally specific projects, even if there’s pressure to do more for 2034.
“We’re trying to go above and beyond what we’d normally do,” Allen amended.
Kelsey Berg is the director of government relations for the 2034 Winter Olympics. She said that Utah’s Games will be “very compact,” which is a benefit. But challenges come from the sheer size of a modern Olympics.
“The Games are about 40% larger than they were in 2002,” Berg said.
That’s when Utah last hosted the Winter Games. Berg said the Olympics organizing committee has a real interest in transportation planning, but she sought to dispel a few myths from 2002.
“(Most people think) the federal government gave us a blank check. That’s not the case,” Berg said. “We want to do things on the cheap and put on a good Games.”
Completing operations with efficient spending, Berg said, includes avoiding the use of state or local tax dollars.
Aside from transportation, Koecher said he hopes that Wasatch County residents will stay in town throughout the 2034 Olympics to capitalize on the celebratory atmosphere. It’s what he said he enjoyed the most in Italy.
“It’s tempting for many of us to put up our houses on Airbnb or VRBO,” Koecher said. “That would be a very, very big miss for our community to see what the Olympic spirit is all about.”
Koecher said he would encourage residents to host visitors and indulge in Olympic parties and celebrations throughout the Heber Valley, instead of leaving town. He said creating those celebratory experiences falls on Heber City and Midway businesses.
“What can we do to create activation spaces where people will want to go and participate?” Koecher asked.
Koecher said he observed an equal number of individuals who attended the Games in Italy without tickets as people with tickets to competitions and events.
Bodensteiner said he saw businesses in Italy with displays that welcomed visitors into the establishments.
“People who went the extra mile were the businesses that got visited a lot. The businesses that did not do that did not get visited,” Bodensteiner said.
He added that residents may have to plan for large crowds, traffic and difficulty finding reservations for dinner. Bodensteiner apparently found it difficult to locate restaurants to eat at in Italy due to the number of people trying to do the same thing.
“A lot of teams will be seeking private accommodations up here. That’s the same for restaurants. It can make it a little tough for visitors without some planning,” Bodensteiner said.
And the crowds will not cease with the end of the 2034 Winter Games because a little more than a week later, the 2034 Paralympic Games will begin. Bodensteiner said he was impressed with the number of people who attended the Paralympic Games in Tesero.
“Those stands were full,” Bodensteiner said. “We’ll have the Olympics and then a 10-day break and then a competition that will draw just as many people.”
Bodensteiner, Berg, Allen and Koecher all said they are committed to working with Wasatch County, Heber City and Midway to put on a noteworthy 2034 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. In 2034, the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will take place from Feb. 10 to 26, then March 10-19, respectively.