"Catastrophic" failure at Teton Pass

As mentioned yesterday, Teton Pass has been closed since yesterday morning due to a mudslide near milepost 15. However, sometime during the early overnight hours, the road completely collapsed near milepost 12.8. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) said crews were working to repair a crack in the pavement at milepost 12.8 when the road "catastrophically failed." Fortunately, no one was injured, nor was any equipment damaged. Here's a photo of the landslide from WYDOT:

Yesterday morning, WYDOT closed Wyoming 22 at Teton Pass due to a mudslide. The mudslide came down near milepost 15, breaching both lanes of travel. Crews had been working to clear the debris, but additional material continued to flow onto the roadway. Further up the road a major crack in the pavement formed near milepost 12.8. The crack was first detected on Thursday after a motorcyclist hit the rupture and crashed into the guardrail.

Here's a photo of the crack before the catastrophic failure occurred:

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon met with state officials this morning from WYDOT and the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security to coordinate a response. In a press release, Gordon stated:

"WYDOT geologists and engineers will be on site today to conduct an assessment and develop a long-term solution to rebuild the roadway. At this point, we do not have an estimated timeline for the road to reopen. I recognize the impacts this closure has to Teton County residents, regional commuters and the local economy. We will continue to provide updates on the road status as additional information becomes available."

WYDOT Director Darin Westby posted this statement on the agency's social media outlets:

”We understand this highway is a lifeline for commuters, deliveries, medical care access and tourism, especially with limited alternatives and the summer season upon us. WYDOT engineers, surveyors and geologists mobilized quickly to try to maintain highway viability as long as possible, but catastrophic failure could not be avoided. WYDOT remains on site decisively engaged on fixing the road and restoring connectivity to the Teton Valley. Safety is our utmost priority, and we ask that recreationists and curious residents avoid the area until it can be stabilized.”

The impact of this on residents, workers and visitors cannot be understated.

Update: WYDOT just published this video of drone footage from the slide:





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• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

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• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Road Improvements Started for Old Pass Road near Teton Pass

The historic Old Pass Road located near Teton Pass in the Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest will be getting much needed road improvements starting this week. During this road improvement period, visitors can expect temporary trail and road closures including the area just above Crater Lake trail in the upper section of Old Pass Road, which will be closed Monday through Wednesday to replace culverts, and paving operations will close the Old Pass road entirely from Thursday to Friday. Recreationists are encouraged to seek alternative trails around the Teton Pass area or to explore other great parts of the Forest while repairs are completed safely and efficiently.

This 103 year old road has seen many uses since the early settlers of Jackson utilized it to into the valley. With the constant usage and yearly degradation the road is in need of some much needed repair efforts to ensure the safety of its users. Last winter, the Old Pass Road was plowed due to the donations from the community received through the Team Jackson Hole organization and the continuous support of its leader, Jim Verdone. This year, once again with the donations received by the community through Team Jackson Hole, and with additional funding through the Community Foundation of JH grant, repairs will be underway to maintain the integrity of the road.

Signs have already been posted on the trail to inform visitors of this project. Due to the uncertainty of the weather, operation schedules could change. For an alternate route, users are encouraged to use Crater Lake Trail, a 1.5 mile trail paralleled to Old Pass Road opened for hikers and mountain bikers.

For more information about this project or recreational opportunities within the Forest you can contact the Supervisors Office at (307) 739-5500 or visit the Forest website www.fs.usda.gov/btnf/.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com