JACKSON, Wyo. — It’s all a misunderstanding, says WYDOT, regarding Teton Pass parking this winter season.
During a Teton County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 26, Tory Thomas, district maintenance engineer for Wyoming Department of Transportation, intimated to electeds there was no guarantee the area off Highway 22 at the summit of Teton Pass would be cleared to allow parking as it has been in years past.
Currently, the department is plowing a smaller area to allow for vehicles to pull off and brake check. Thomas said it was the intent of the agency to move the brake check area back to weigh station on the west side of the pass once work is completed on truck arrestor.
During the meeting, commissioner Mark Newcomb understood the need for a brake check area but pointed out that the lot at the top of the pass has never really been used for that
“We’ve got to deal with the reality of what that parking lot is,” Newcomb said. “It’s recreational access, it’s been that way since the ‘50s, and it’s incredibly popular.”
Commissioner Luther Propst also asked why truckers can’t check breaks at the bottom of the pass on the Idaho side. “It seems like that would be safer for that truck to pull over before it’s on top of the pass,” he said.
Misunderstanding
From that meeting, the buzz began that WYDOT was contemplating closing the parking lot at the top of the pass, or at least plowing it in such a way that would discourage park-and-ride skiers and boarders.
WYDOT says that was never the case.
“It was never our intention to not clear that area at the top, just as we’ve always done. This whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” said WYDOT spokesperson Stephanie Harsha.
WYDOT Thursday announced it anticipates work at the arrestor to be completed by the end of November, and will move the brake check area to the weigh station on the west side of the pass on November 15.
“In conjunction with the seasonal trailer restriction on WYO 22 (Teton Pass), WYDOT will move the current vehicle brake check area, located at milepost 11 on the top of Teton Pass, and relocate it to the weigh station pullout at milepost 15.5,” the agency stated in a release.
“The brake check areas are not strictly for commercial vehicles, but any vehicle that may need to check their brakes or pull over for an emergency. Once the trailer restriction is in place, we are okay with moving the brake check area to the weigh station,” Thomas assured.
The brake check area (known to locals as a backcountry ski area parking lot) at the top of the pass will be open to public parking beginning Nov. 15.
“WYDOT will continue to evaluate and serve all aspects of the public within the resources given to us, with safety being the top priority for all who travel Teton Pass,” said Mark Gillett, WYDOT chief engineer.
Importance of Teton Pass
Meanwhile, Teton Backcountry Alliance (TBCA) fired off a letter to Governor Mark Gordon and Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) Director Luke Reiner appealing for them to step in.
In the letter, Kofinas asked WYDOT to work collaboratively with all of the stakeholders “to find a long-term solution to the current problems related to highway safety and public access to public land on Teton Pass.”
In years past, WYDOT has allowed the area at the top of Teton pass to be used for parking at a limited capacity. This limited capacity has created a carpooling and hitchhiking system that many backcountry users follow to help budget the amount of parking at the top.
“The road over Teton Pass has an 80-year history of providing parking for backcountry skiers, a history that pre-dates WYDOT’s recent claim that it was designed only as a “pullout/ brake check lot,” the letter stated. “Teton Pass is regarded as an international destination among skiers, and has and continues to be a resource vital to the wellbeing of thousands of our citizens. It is also an important source of income for many Wyoming businesses. Suggesting that the top parking area is merely a chain-up and brake check area dismisses the area’s history and the importance of its current use.”
