On Saturday, a massive landslide occurred on the mountain highway in Wyoming that links Jackson with surrounding communities. This caused a significant portion of the road to collapse, leaving a massive gap in one of the primary routes to Idaho.
Using aerial drone footage, we can clearly see that a section of the pavement has completely disappeared and the Teton Pass road is now plagued with deep cracks. Twisted portions of the guardrail along the mountain pass road are now connected only at one end and are precariously dangling in a chasm that was created when the road gave way.
On Thursday, transportation officials made the decision to close the highway due to hazardous conditions. This was in response to the impending threat of a landslide. Thankfully, there were no reported casualties.
According to a statement from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the crews, as well as the contract crews from Evans Construction, were actively constructing a detour around the damaged area. However, the landslide proved to be relentless, causing the entire road to collapse. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries to any of the crews, and none of the equipment sustained any damage during the incident.
According to the department, the part of State Highway 22 that collapsed has been shut down until further notice. The Wyoming crews are being aided by the Idaho Transportation Department in the effort to address the situation.
According to the statement, WYDOT is currently assessing a permanent solution and repairs for the issue at hand. Further updates on the planning process will be made available in the near future.
In a Facebook post, Governor Mark Gordon of Wyoming shared a video of the slide and stated that state geologists and engineers are present to evaluate the situation and come up with a permanent solution to reconstruct the roadway.
In his post, he acknowledged the adverse effects of the closure on Teton County residents, regional commuters, and the local economy. He made it clear that they are in constant communication with local officials to address the situation.
According to the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, travelers can still arrive at the Jackson area, but due to the detour, it takes at least an extrahour to reach the destination.
