JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The WYO 22 Teton Pass arrestor system was utilized for the fourth time yesterday since its construction in 2017, saving a runaway trucker and showing off what it can do right in the middle of a tour of the site.
Wyoming Department of Transportation crews happened to be right there on the pass Tuesday morning with representatives from the Utah Department of Transportation. UDOT was touring the arrestor as they are thinking about putting one in in their state. They were treated to a front-row view of the arrestor at work.
Curtis Olsen of Rigby, Idaho, was driving a flatbed tandem axle truck carrying pallets when he zoomed past WYDOT and UDOT officials doing about 55 mph. Seconds later he was in the arrestor at about 10:57am. The truck was successfully stopped and Olsen escaped without injury. WYDOT is currently reviewing how the arrestor performed.
“As with previous uses of the vehicle arrestor system, we will review how it functioned, including talking with the driver,” WYDOT District Engineer Keith Compton said.
Olsen said he had stopped in the parking area to inspect his braks. When he continued down the mountain he soon realized his brakes were gone.
Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) truck arrestor system, near milepost 7 on the south side of the roadway, was constructed to replace the previous run-away truck ramp where vehicles had to cross over the opposing lane of oncoming traffic to use the ramp. The Teton truck arrestor system was opened in March of 2017. As stated, it has now captured four vehicles to date.
Second truck arrestor meets with some opposition
Meanwhile, WYDOT is looking to install another truck arrestor, perhaps near the 25 mph sign, immediately before the curve into the town of Wilson. At least one local thinks the placement is a bad idea.
“During the morning commute, when slow-moving vehicles approach Wilson, traffic gets backed up sometimes all the way to the Elliot Cemetery Road, Norman Duke told Buckrail. “An out-of-control semi will have no place to go.”
Duke called the proposed location of the Site 6 arrestor “hazardous and dangerous.”
WYDOT is considering five potential locations for another arrestor. One nearer to the base of the pass as traffic enters Wilson is the Site 6 proposal. Based on a weighted matrix that takes into account criteria like cost, feasibility, and environmental impact, WYDOT has identified Site 6 as the preferred location. In WYDOT’s estimation, a truck arrestor there would cost about $5.5M.
A public meeting regarding a new arrestor will likely be coming up in November, according to WYDOT’s Stephanie Harsha.
