‘The roadway at milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass has catastrophically failed,’ officials said.
A large portion of a mountain road collapsed in Wyoming near the Grand Tetons tourist destination, prompting the governor to declare an emergency, officials in the state confirmed on June 8.
Photos released by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) of the Teton Pass road show a chasm where the section of highway used to be.
“The roadway at milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass, has catastrophically failed, and a long-term closure is expected,” the state agency said in a statement, adding that officials “were working in the area to construct a detour around the damage, but the landslide continued to move, taking out the whole road.”
Etched into the mountain range, Teton Pass is the only road between Jackson, Wyoming, and Victor, Idaho, according to maps. The highway also appears to provide crucial access to the mountainous Teton County, which includes Yellowstone, Jackson, and the Grand Tetons from areas of Idaho.
“We understand this highway is a lifeline for commuters, deliveries, medical care access, and tourism, especially with limited alternatives and the summer season upon us,” WYDOT Director Darin Westby said in a statement over the weekend. “WYDOT engineers, surveyors, and geologists mobilized quickly to try to maintain highway viability as long as possible, but catastrophic failure could not be avoided.”
Mr. Westby said that his agency is currently onsite and is working to fix “the road and restoring connectivity to the Teton Valley.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how long it will take to reopen the road.
“WYDOT is now reviewing a long-term solution and repairs, and more information on planning efforts will be available soon,” WYDOT’s statement said, adding that a mudslide about two miles away on Teton Pass “breached the roadway with mud and debris, overwhelming the channeled drainage ditch and culvert.”
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, signed an executive order declaring an emergency on June 8 in response to the highway collapse. His office said it would allow the state to access more resources from the federal government to start repair work.
