JACKSON HOLE, WYO – It is a quiet commuting Friday morning but not by choice for most.
Teton Pass remains closed for avalanche control. Snow is heavy and difficult to move by rotary or frontend loader. Road crews are experiencing a lot of snow and sliding activity. Teton Pass will not be open anytime soon. Estimates now indicate an all-day closure.
WYDOT crews are also busy in the Snake River Canyon with a natural-triggered avalanche there. There is only the one slide in the Snake River Canyon but crews there are monitoring other potential slide areas with warming temperatures. WYDOT’s Bruce Daigle said the canyon cannot be safely opened at this time.
Cow of the Woods and Calf of the Woods slide areas in the Hoback have been cleaned up and Highway 191 is now open between Hoback Junction and Bondurant.
Due to road closures in the Snake River Canyon and on Teton Pass, START Bus will have no commuter bus service for Friday, February 15. These cancelled commuter services include afternoon return routes as well as incoming morning routes. Town shuttle and Teton Village routes may also be impacted today.
Bondurant, however, is without power this morning. Lower Valley Energy is on scene now to assess the cause of the outage that has affected customers in Bondo all the way to the Upper Green River area.
Most roads are hard-packed snow with a wet sheen on them due to temperatures hovering just above the freezing mark. No unnecessary travel is being advised on most highways that are open in and out of Jackson.
Avalanche forecast for today is CONSIDERABLE.
