WILSON, Wyo. — A little over one year since Teton Pass “catastrophically failed” at milepost 12.8 due to a landslide, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) and crews from Ames Construction gave commuters the green light to travel on the new roadway on Monday, June 30, at 6 a.m.
WYDOT Resident Engineer Bob Hammond told Buckrail that crews worked around the clock during the Pass’s closure over the weekend to complete paving work.
“The new road and the detour road were occupying the same space and traffic would have had to go through that same space while it was being constructed, which makes it difficult to do anything quickly,” Hammond said. “So that was the reason we chose to close the road for two and a half days for 24 hours a day, versus having longer impacts.”
Hammond said that during this past weekend’s Pass closure, the entire temporary detour was removed and the new road was fully constructed with improved soil subgrade and base material. Additionally, paving was completed along with the placement of most of the guardrail. The rest of the guardrail should be completed on the evening of Monday, June 30, according to Hammond.
Hammond explained to Buckrail the construction process from over the past year.
“We dug out what we needed to dig out back in August and September,” Hammond said. “Then we inserted micropiles … and then we built up a fill using alternating, graded dirt material and included a lightweight foamed glass aggregate.”
Over 100 micropiles, which are nine and three-quarter inch diameter steel rods with a grouted bottom, were installed to provide greater stability. The rods were drilled throughout the fill area, approximately 50 feet deep, to create a reinforced foundation. The foamed glass, which was shipped out from Florida and Pennsylvania, is a much lighter fill to help prevent soil erosion. Hammond said that the fill should be structurally safe and sound for years to come.
“The designers used a 75-year design life,” Hammond said. “It doesn’t mean things don’t need maintenance, as far as any possible erosion or things like that. The fill was made to last 75 years.”
After securing the foundation, Hammond said that crews built the new roadway in just two weeks. He said that the road’s alignment and grades are similar, if not identical, to the original roadway prior to the landslide. Hammond said that he was proud of how everyone came together after the Pass collapsed.
“Everyone recognized right away that this was a disaster situation … it cut people off coming from Idaho to Wyoming and vice versa,” Hammond said. “The contractors we hired from Evans Construction for the temporary detour. They worked extremely hard and quickly to get that done.”
Hammond explained that WYDOT adjusted how it typically works by hiring another contractor to help with the permanent fix. He said that the design team and the contractor then worked quickly and efficiently to complete work in about a year’s time.
“That’s an amazing speed and just real impressive to see how the contractors and WYDOT reacted by going faster than we normally do,” Hammond said.
Hammond also emphasized that the public has been supportive and encouraging during the entire construction process.
“We know that they’re pretty thankful that we got this work done,” Hammond said.
In the next two weeks, crews will still be completing finishing touches, including soil grading, reclamation, seeding and the placement of traffic signs. While the speed limit on Teton Pass has reverted back to 45 miles per hour (mph), Hammond reminds travelers to slow down to the advisory speed of 35 mph around sharp curves.
