JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The unpaved section of the Moose-Wilson Road in Grand Teton National Park will be temporarily closed for seasonal dust abatement beginning 4am Tuesday, June 5, and will reopen by 8am Thursday, June 7. This routine dust abatement application occurs several times during the summer on the approximately one-mile of unpaved section of the seven-mile road.
In addition, the unpaved section of the Moose-Wilson Road will be graded this summer to maintain a better and safer driving surface between dust abatement applications. To minimize the impact to visitors, the grading operations will be conducted at night between the hours of 8pm – 6am. Three grading operations are planned for one night in late June, mid-August, and late September. The unpaved section of the road will be closed to public access during these grading operations.
Dust abatement and grading operations will continue until the unpaved section of the Moose-Wilson Road is reconstructed and paved, as determined in the Moose-Wilson Corridor Comprehension Management Plan Record of Decision. The park is working in partnership with Federal Highways to create a preliminary design for the unpaved section, as well as other improvements to the road. Initial work is anticipated to begin in late fall 2019.
Earlier this spring park crews implemented drainage improvements along the northern area of the Moose-Wilson Road south of Sawmill Pond due to significant groundwater flooding. At the same time, roadside barriers were installed to minimize damage to roadside vegetation.
Beginning June 8 through June 22, geotechnical surveying will be conducted along the entire length of the Moose-Wilson Road between 6am and 8pm, daily. The road will remain open, but maximum 15-minute traffic delays are expected, as well as some areas that will be limited to alternating one-way traffic. The surveys will determine subsurface conditions along the road that will be used in the design of road improvements.
During the dust abatement application June 5-7, motorists and bicyclists should plan to use an alternate route as this temporary closure will prevent making a ‘through trip’ on the Moose-Wilson Road from Granite Canyon Entrance Station to the Teton Park Road at Moose, Wyoming. This is the first of three scheduled dust abatement treatments for the 2018 season.
For those wishing to reach the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve or Death Canyon trailhead, access will be possible by heading south from the Teton Park Road Junction near the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center.
Electronic signs will be placed on Wyoming Highway 390 to alert park visitors and local residents of the scheduled road closure. For travelers heading south to Teton Village from the Moose area, signs will also be placed near the junction of the Teton Park Road.
The product used for dust abatement is a slurry of magnesium chloride-the same product that is used to treat dirt roads in and around Jackson Hole. This product coats the road surface, but it can also adhere to the undercarriage of vehicles. Motorists who drive the unpaved portion of the Moose-Wilson Road after it reopens on Thursday may want to rinse off their vehicles to eliminate any residue.
Roadwork schedules may change, or be delayed, due to weather conditions, equipment malfunction, or other extenuating circumstances.
