• Temporary road is paved, currently installing safety features

After being closed for three weeks due to what was described as a “catastrophic failure,” Teton Pass is scheduled to reopen this Friday with a temporary road in place.

Bob Hammond, WYDOT Resident Engineer in Teton County, told SVI that paving was done on Tuesday. “We’re going to be putting in all the safety features on Wednesday and Thursday. Our plan is to open up on Friday.”

According to WYDOT, the new detour will feature a paved roadway with two 12-foot lanes, one in each direction. The detour will also have concrete barriers protecting motorists from any hazards. The detour has been constructed on the interior of the curve, away from the unstable slide area. The detour will create a slightly sharper curve and steeper grade. WYDOT plans to reduce the speed through the area to accommodate the grade and increased curvature. There will be advanced signage warning drivers of the reduced speed and any other applicable restrictions.

“I want to thank everyone for their patience,” stated Hammond. “We wanted to get this done in two weeks, it’s taken us three.  We might have had some rosy goggles on to get it done faster than we thought. But really it’s been going very, very quickly. So thanks for everyone’s patience as they’ve traveled around and up through the (Snake River) Canyon. I know that’s a tough drive with everybody and the traffic delay. We’ll get this opened and help everybody out.”

More permanent reconstruction plans are underway. WYDOT engineers are working internally with their geologists, environmental services and planning and design departments to develop long term reconstruction options.

State Highway 22 connects the Town of Jackson with Victor, ID and is the busiest two-lane highway in Wyoming. It was closed on June 8 after a massive mudslide left a gaping hole in the road and mountain side. The closure has resulted in a large increase in traffic around Palisades Reservoir and through the Snake River Canyon as work commuters from Idaho have been forced to take the long route to Jackson.