A critical highway linking Idaho and Wyoming has closed indefinitely after a portion of the road cracked and then collapsed in a catastrophic landslide on Saturday. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced on Facebook that there is no estimated timeline for reopening Teton Pass, which connects Victor, Idaho, and Jackson, Wyoming.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) reported that the initial crack appeared on Thursday morning across both lanes of travel, dropping vertically roughly 8 inches in some places, leading to unsafe driving conditions. A temporary patch was applied, and traffic resumed until a mudslide in a different location on Friday forced the road to close.
On Saturday morning, the section of the roadway where the initial crack occurred collapsed, leading to a long-term closure of Teton Pass. WYDOT crews, in collaboration with contract crews from Evans Construction, were working to construct a detour around the damage, but the landslide continued to move, resulting in the complete destruction of the road. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the crews.
Governor Gordon met with WYDOT and Wyoming Office of Homeland Security officials to coordinate a response to the catastrophic landslide. WYDOT engineers, surveyors, and geologists are actively working on repairing the highway and restoring connectivity to the Teton Valley. The Department of Transportation had anticipated repair work to last into Saturday, but the collapse of the cracked section of the roadway accelerated the situation.
WYDOT is currently assessing long-term solutions and repairs to the highway, and Director Darin Westby urged the public to avoid the site until stability is restored. The Teton Pass corridor is a critical commuter route and facilitates the transport of goods and services that are essential to the regional economies of Wyoming and Idaho, according to the US Department of Transportation.
