JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The “Y” intersection. The mere mention of the vexing interchange is enough to send many motorists’ blood pressure skyrocketing. And it’s about to get worse before it gets better.
WYDOT briefed town leaders Monday on plans the agency had for an interim fix to what has become a daily problem. Southbound traffic on Broadway backs up regularly beyond Wendy’s occasionally during the five o’clock hour as motorists look to make their way home from work. In the morning, during the school season, a left-hand turn from Broadway onto Highway 22 is a borderline magic trick as West Bank moms drain their lattes finger-drumming their steering wheels through four and five light cycles before they can get back on their way to Wilson.
Bob Hammond, resident engineer for WYDOT, said his department’s temporary fix should get another 10-14 years of serviceability out of the beleaguered junction that may one day be due for a roundabout. WYDOT, like every driver in the valley, is well aware of the Y’s current challenges. They know things get backed up. They even know about the not-so-covert “Albies cut-through,” invented by impatient motorists looking to avoid excessive queues in the turning lane for 22 by cruising through Albertson’s parking lot to get in a shorter line on Buffalo Way.
“Two things that happen there,” Hammond began. “That left turn onto 22 from Broadway backs up for four to five cycles. The same thing happens for southbound Broadway backing up for many cycles.”
Hammond put some of the blame on Buffalo Way egress across the intersection to Highway 22. The notoriously brief green there doesn’t allow for more than a handful of vehicles through at a time, but that seven seconds or so is precious time that could be devoted to a green light in any of the other three directions.
For that reason, motorists will no longer be allowed to access Highway 22 from Buffalo Way…at all. They will have to wiggle around side streets like Powderhorn Lane (where a left onto Broadway is already virtually impossible) and Maple Way (a street already heavily trafficked). Snow King Avenue is also expected to shoulder a great bulk of the detour burden.
That’s ludicrous, thought former Mayor Mark Barron, who showed up at the town’s workshop with WYDOT. “Where is the traffic going to go when this is complete, let alone during construction?” Barron pondered. The inability to go from Buffalo Way to 22 will cause traffic to go back through town. Buffalo Way is backed up beyond Albertsons every day.”
Barron reminded the council about the redesign of the five-way during his tenure. “When we did the five-way it took years to get it worked out with WYDOT. We ended up with a high-functioning intersection. I’m kind of surprised to see this is out of the box so soon and already done. We are leaving out some key components of getting traffic out of town. Let’s pump the brakes and go back to the drawing board.”
Another aspect of the Y redo will be the elimination of so-called “free turn lanes.” Southbound traffic on Broadway has always been able to slide over into a right-hand lane and avoid the light for access to Highway 22. Same goes for town-bound motorists on 22 looking to make a right-hand turn onto Broadway. The “free turn” aspect of those lanes will now be eliminated. The lanes will remain dedicated turn lanes but both will be rerouted to the signal light.
“This intersection was first designed back in the 60s or 70s when there was nothing down here past the Virginian,” Hammond said. “It is a high-speed interchange appropriate for that time. Now we have a lot more pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles; and with the two lanes now turning onto 22, well, we just don’t have the room for three lanes. We thought it best to bring it to intersection. It will be a more controlled turn. It does have correct turning radius for larger, longer vehicles.”
The best thing that may come out of the WYDOT redesign is a smarter stoplight. Hammond said the department has an order in for a high-tech traffic signaling device that “feels” traffic build up and can adjust light sequences on the fly. It even has a “dilemma feature” that senses when a truck-and-trailer, for instance, is bearing down on a yellow with no ability to pull up. The device will automatically extend the light a bit until the rig is through the intersection.
A version of the fancy light is in use at Highways 22 and 390. The one for the Y is on a six-month lead time order. It will installed next spring.
By the way, Hammond said the traffic light at the Y now has some 30 distinct timing patterns depending on whether it’s winter or summer, Monday, or Sunday, 2am or 5:30pm.
Meanwhile, WYDOT is shooting for an aggressive construction schedule beginning September 5. They hope to be done with everything but landscaping by late November. Until then, motorists should expect plenty of headaches at the Y. Buffalo Way, for one, will be closed in both directions for at least the month of September and perhaps longer. Combined with the start of school next week and numerous town road and sewer constructions projects in the vicinity, commuters had better pack their patience.
“We do know there is going to be congestion,” Hammond admitted. “It’s one of those things: You have to break a few eggs to make this omelet.”
“Let’s just say we are going to have a ‘dynamic’ response—like when we redid the five-way,” town administrator Bob McLaurin assured WYDOT.
