‘Catastrophic failure’: Teton Pass crumbles off side of mountain

A large section of the Teton Pass that connects towns in eastern Idaho to tourist attractions in Jackson, Wyoming, has collapsed after a mudslide, authorities said.

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), the “catastrophic failure” took out a large section of Wyoming Highway 22 overnight Friday between Jackson and Victor, Idaho, the Cowboy State Daily reported.

On Thursday, the road was temporarily closed after 8-inch cracks developed in the roadway at milepost 12.8, according to East Idaho News.

Department crews and a contracted team from Evans Construction began working at the site to “construct a detour around the damage, but the landslide continued to move, taking out the whole road,” the Wyoming Department of Transportation said.

The road was closed when the section of the road crumbled and fell down the side of the mountain, The Associated Press reported.

The road will have to be totally rebuilt, Stephanie Harsha, a spokesperson for District 3 of the WYDOT, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

“Anytime you are working on a mountain pass, you are working with limited space,” Harsha told the newspaper. “The ‘shoofly’ is no longer going to work. We are focused on long-term, more permanent fixes.”

Harsha said she did not have an estimated cost to rebuild the road, or how long it would take to repaired. She urged residents not to attempt driving or bicycling through the area.

“The road is closed and you will not make it over,” Harsha told the News & Guide.

Commuters who regularly travel between Jackson and Victor will have to find an alternative route. According to the Cowboy State Daily, the best route is to head south through Alpine, Wyoming. It will take motorists 1 hour, 45 minutes, as opposed to the 35-minute drive through the pass.

“That’s such a difficult thing for this area,” Harsha told the newspaper. “Teton Pass is a lifeline for people who commute and work in and out of the Jackson area. Depending on where you live, especially on the Idaho side, most people detour around Swan Valley and then into Alpine, Wyoming, and come up Jackson from the south.

“Our engineers are evaluating the area, and they should come up with a plan forward as far as what we’re going to do in repairing that section.”

© 2024 Cox Media Group