JACKSON, Wyo. — An environmental and design project has begun on WY22, from the Y-intersection through Wilson, according to a press release issued by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) March 24.
According to WYDOT, this section of WY22, between Jackson and Wilson, is the busiest and most congested two-lane highway in Wyoming.
Bob Hammond, WYDOT’s resident engineer, said that daily traffic on WY22 has increased by 20 percent over the last 10 years. Traffic growth during peak travel hours was even higher, with approximately 30 percent growth in the morning peak hour and 17 percent in the evening peak hour, according to the press release.
The environmental and design project aims to gather information about the transportation needs of the corridor to begin the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The NEPA document is required prior to any plans being implemented.
The WY22 corridor project will also be combined with the Tribal Trails Connector project. On March 21, the Teton County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a cooperative agreement with WYDOT to fold the Tribal Trails connector project into the WY22 corridor project.
“Combining the two projects helps respond to comments from some members of the public that the Tribal Trail project should be analyzed along with the WYO 22 project,” Hammond said.
WYDOT says an advisory committee comprised of stakeholders and public meetings will be held over the next year to help identify transportation needs and improvements to WY22.
The project includes looking at improving pathways and wildlife crossings. “This project will build off other studies and identify a corridor-wide approach to improving wildlife connections across the corridor,” states the press release.
One such study is the recent Federal Highway Administration’s study of the 24-mile corridor from Stilson Transit Center to Victor Transit Center. The study explores parking fees at trailheads, shuttle service on Teton Pass, expanding parking areas along the corridor, wildlife crossings and avalanche sheds.
According to WYDOT Public Relations Specialist Stephanie Harsha, “WYDOT and the consultant team are aware of the study and its findings” but the team has not started identifying possible solutions yet. “The team will certainly review and consider those corridor concepts when we get to that point in the process,” Harsha said.
According to the press release, WYDOT lacks construction funds for the project in its six-year State Transportation Improvement Plan. The NEPA process is expected to go into 2025, and “any future project would not be planned for construction until 2028 at the earliest.”
WYDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, Teton County and the Town of Jackson are involved with the project.
According to WYDOT, The WY22 corridor project is part of WYDOT’s larger plan to implement recommendations from the 2014 Planning and Environmental Linkages study. One of the main priorities identified in that study is the replacement of the Wilson bridge. Construction and staging for the new bridge and the intersection of WY22 and WY390 began this spring.
