Are the roads safe during winter from SLC to Park City? (Salt Lake City: houses, buy)

[Pawpurrfect09]

We are possibly relocating from Dallas, TX to SLC. We would be living in SLC proper but I would work in Park City. My concern is whether the roads that take you to Park City from SLC are safe enough to commute everyday during winter season when it starts snowing? Do they plow the snow off the road on a regular basis? Is it necessary to have snow tires to travel on those roads? I would appreciated any information anybody can offer. Thankyou so much.

[skibarbie]

Well, yes and no..The State does a fine job of keeping Parleys Canyon plowed but there are times when the snow comes down so hard that it looks intimidating. My hubby did the opposite drive for 15 years and I did your commute for 2 years. Hubby would leave most winter mornings around 5:30 in order to avoid the SUV crowd but, he also would find that he also beat the snowplows oput too. He drove a Subaru Forrester, put snow tires on and tossed a few sand bags/water softner salt bags in the back for weight and made it back and forth for many years. He also hated every minute of that drive and we eventually reelocated down to the Valley. It only took me 2 winters to give up working in PC..
The State is becoming much more serious about restricting travel through Parleys, thank goodness, so do yourself a favor by investing in a solid AWD and buy a set of good snowtires too. You may only need them once or twice a season but i have found that setup to be not only rock solid but a "requirement" on the "Chains/AWD" days too..

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

There are plenty of houses closer, like in Jeremy Ranch. Any reason to live in SLC itself'
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[Pawpurrfect09]

Skybarbie Thankyou so very much for the in-depth insight about the commute. I might have to reconsider the job opportunity in Park City. We prefer to stay in SLC because we have family there and housing seems to be more affordable there.

[TCAS007]

The topic is about if the roads are safe during the winter to commute!
My personal experience is that it depends on the winter. Last winter was easy. But if it snows lots it will be unsafer and frustrating.

[nyllie]

I live and work in Park City, but my job required me to commute to SLC for a month this past December. I didn't have a FWD car or snow tires. Usually the trip was perfectly fine, but there were definitely some scary moments. I'm a nurse so I HAVE to be at my job on-time and exactly as scheduled which probably led to being more stressed out about the situation, but if you have a job with more flexibility where you could go home a bit early if you knew the weather was going to be bad, or show up a little late waiting for the roads to clear, that would be okay. The department or transportation had a good website that shows traffic conditions for each segment of the route, so I found that helpful in planning.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by nyllie

I live and work in Park City, but my job required me to commute to SLC for a month this past December. I didn't have a FWD car or snow tires.

You live and work in Park City but don't have snow tires?

[RockRat]

I live in downtown Salt Lake City and only go to the Park City / Canyons / Deer Valley area to ski, and, for what it's worth, I think the roads can be dangerous at times. I've seen other vehicles literally spinning out of control as they slide down I-80 when the drivers disregard the snow and ice conditions. In fact, I'd suggest that the roads themselves aren't the problem, the problems are the drivers who believe they can somehow defy physics because they drive a 4WD / AWD vehicle!