JACKSON, Wyo. — It’s been a long summer of construction on the WY22/WY390 corridor. Multiple projects are currently underway on the highway and pathway systems including the Wilson Bridge replacement project and intersection realignment and the Wilson to Stilson pathway, along with two pedestrian underpasses.
The tourism season is cooling off, but on any given day the traffic can back up for what seems to be no reason. Wednesday was one of those days, with drivers reporting hour-plus travel times between town and the WY22/WY390 intersection.
“For the commuters and people who live on the West Bank, we appreciate their patience. We try not to do things to create traffic.”
Bob Hammond, WYDOT resident engineer
Stephanie Harsha, Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) District 3 Public Relations Specialist, confirmed with Buckrail that Wednesday evening’s delays were not caused directly by construction activity.
“Unfortunately with the congestion and lack of redundancy in the valley, any driving choice (slowing down, minor accident, weather, rubbernecking at the scenery, etc.) can cause a domino effect of delays, especially through the work zone,” Harsha said. “There was no construction activity through the project that inhibited the movement of the two-way traffic.”
The weather on Wednesday could have also played a part, but as Harsha said, “It’s really hard to pinpoint what caused the traffic.”
WYDOT recently began an environmental and design project on WY22, from the Y-intersection through Wilson, to identify the transportation needs of the corridor. According to WYDOT, traffic on WY22 has increased by 20% in the past 10 years. Traffic during morning commute hours has increased 30% and by 17% during evening peak hours.
“We have been working with the contractor, and the county to make sure we notify the public of any planned construction activities that could cause traffic delay or backup,” Harsha said.
When the traffic is due to construction activities, WYDOT Resident Engineer Bob Hammond says WYDOT and the contractor are doing everything they can to mitigate delays, including stopping work to clear out the congestion.
“Sometimes the plan doesn’t go according to plan,” Hammond said. “Sometimes things change rapidly and we just have to fight our way through it. We don’t plan to have long delays at all.”
“We know people are trying to get to work, appointments, pick up kids, get home to dinner, and they have a time frame they need to get things done,” Hammond said. “For the commuters and people who live on the West Bank, we appreciate their patience. We try not to do things to create traffic.”
Last Thursday traffic got out of hand on WY22 when work on the Wilson Bridge reduced traffic to one lane and paving on the Wilson underpass was conducted. The delayed announcement to the public, due to equipment becoming available at the last minute, only fueled commuter frustrations, as delays pushed into the hours.
Craig Clarke, Vice President of Evans Construction, who is the contractor for the underpass project, spoke with Buckrail about the situation and said the underpass project did not have an impact on the flow of traffic, but passing cars hurled profanities and insults at his crew as they worked.
“It’s not the people’s fault who are out there doing the job,” Clarke said.
Hammond also noted that the goal of these projects is to solve the traffic issues on WY22, with long-term solutions.
“Once the intersection and bridge are done, we know it will make a big difference in getting cars through during summertime traffic, a lot better than it is today,” Hammond said.
The new bridge will have four lanes, and the new intersection is a “Florida T,” which will allow traffic on WY22 headed east towards Jackson to bypass the traffic signal, aimed at keeping commuter traffic over Teton Pass flowing.
The bridge project is slated to be completed by June 2025, so another summer of construction is in store, but Hammond is looking at the positives.
“Next summer we will be in a very similar situation with traffic on WY22, but the good thing is those projects on the pathways won’t be happening,” Hammond said.
