JACKSON, Wyo. — Construction on the Teton Pass Trail is moving forward, with a groundbreaking ceremony next week and over $1 million in private donations.
On May 11, the Teton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved just under $800,000 for an early stage of work on the recreational pathway that will run parallel to WY22 on the west side of Teton Pass. The construction work will begin at Trail Creek Campground, connecting with the current pathway in Idaho, and will go as far east as the money can stretch, with the Coal Creek parking area as the goal destination. The funding approved by the BCC is 80% reimbursable by the federal BUILD grant that is supporting this and other transportation projects throughout the Teton counties in Wyoming and Idaho. The early work includes “clearing, grubbing, tree removal, and project erosion control,” according to BCC staff notes.
The entire Teton Pass Trail project was nearly scrapped by the BCC last year, under pressure from lack of funding. Tim Young, a volunteer with the coalition Save Teton Pass Trail (STPT), has been working to raise money for the project since last November. STPT set out to raise $5 million to cover a funding gap for the project, but the mission has evolved to accommodate various changes. Young told Buckrail he is glad to see work beginning on the long-planned segment of pathway.
“[They’re] clearing the way for the trail work to start,” said Young. “I saw surveyors getting it all prepped up, and I think that work has started. So that’s actually very exciting to see real work getting done. They’re getting in early so they can get some clearing done and get out of the way of the campground.”
The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27 at the Trail Creek Campground. The camping area is expected to open for the season before the end of the month. Teton County Public Works Director Heather Overholser told Buckrail that the county has bought out the campground starting in mid-August to provide space for staging, as well as for safety reasons. The campground will remain open to campers until that time.
Funding for the Teton Pass Trail will come from the BUILD grant, local government funds, and private philanthropy donations. So far, STPT has raised $1.1 million, and Young said there are ongoing conversations with potential donors, and the campaign is still welcoming financial gifts.
In February, Whitaker Construction out of Utah was selected as the construction manager at risk (CMAR). Using a CMAR is an alternative way of designing a project and budget; a CMAR is brought on in a consulting capacity during the design phase, then transitions into the general contractor for the building phase, all while holding the financial responsibility of staying within a guaranteed maximum price. Whitaker and the county will be receiving final bids on the project later this week, and numbers should be cemented in the beginning of June. Overholser plans to present the change order for the guaranteed maximum price to the BCC on June 16.
“[Whitaker is] providing us with guaranteed maximum price numbers for dividing the trail into five different segments because we know that we have a limited amount of funding available for this project,” Overholser said. “That way, we will be able to see the five different segments, what each segment will cost, and we will be able to say, ‘We have enough money to do X number of segments.'”
The plan is to begin construction on as many segments as possible at this time, then to prepare for a second phase of construction. That phase will use future donations and a separate Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) grant, for which the county will apply next month. The Transportation Alternatives Program funding application period will open on June 1 and will be awarded in the fall.
“The grant committee was here just in the last week or two and they toured the project and did the site visit,” Young said. “You never know. It’s a grant that’s competitive, but this is a very solid project with all approvals and substantial money already invested. And it directly benefits WYDOT’s Wyoming 22 highway … separating bikes from the highway and high-speed traffic.”
