JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) and contract crews from Ames Construction will be entering the final phases of work this month on the Big Fill Slide on Teton Pass. As crews pave the final stretch of new roadway, WYDOT is alerting travelers that Teton Pass will be closed for the weekend of June 21.
The closure is planned to begin the evening of June 20 at 6 p.m. and will run through Saturday and Sunday, opening back up to drivers on Monday, June 23, at 6 a.m. WY22 will be closed to vehicles at the Coal Creek Campground on the west side of the Pass and closed to vehicles at the mile marker 7 road closure gate on the east side of the Pass.
During the closure, drivers will have to detour around Teton Pass using US26 through Swan Valley and then into the Snake River Canyon. Bicyclists and recreationalists will still have access to Coal Creek Campground on the west side, as well as access to the top of Teton Pass from the east side. WYDOT asks that those walking or biking be cautious and aware of heavy trucks traveling to and from the work site and not to descend west toward the construction site.
According to WYDOT, crews will be milling, grading, placing crushed base, paving and installing guardrails and signs. WYDOT wrote via press release that construction crews will work 24 hours a day, with an hour-by-hour schedule to expedite the work.
WYDOT came to the decision to close the Pass after weighing alternative schedules to accommodate the work with the least amount of impact on commuters.
“We really only had two options,” WYDOT Resident Engineer Bob Hammond said via press release. “We could do the work under a lane closure, which would only give drivers one, alternating lane of travel for 10 days or more. If we did that, it would cause extensive delays and wait times for drivers for weeks, backing up traffic on the mountain every day. Those delays would likely be longer than the detour around during commuter times. After discussing with the contractor and local stakeholders, we thought it was best for the community if we just close the road and get the work done quickly in one weekend.”
WYDOT wrote that the final construction work can be completed in a single weekend, but unpredictable weather and other unforeseen variables could necessitate last-minute changes to the plans.
With the calendar hitting the one year anniversary of the Big Fill Slide event, WYDOT says its aware of the impacts that the road failure and subsequent construction have had on the people and economies in both Wyoming and Idaho.
“We know how this has impacted the commuters in the area,” Hammond said. “We are asking for your support and patience one more time. We’re almost there, and soon the public will be driving on the new, paved alignment after the closure.”
More information about the Big Fill Slide can be found here.
