WASHINGTON D.C — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced June 21 the immediate availability of $6 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief (ER) funds for the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to offset the costs of repairs in the Teton Range caused by a landslide earlier this month.
“The Teton Pass is a key route for workers and visitors traveling between Idaho and Wyoming, and the emergency funding we’re sending will help reopen and restore access to this important roadway as quickly as possible,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “In discussing the situation with (WYDOT), it has been clear how urgent the need is to support their efforts to reconnect one of the region’s heavily traveled mountain thoroughfares — and to make our infrastructure more resilient to future weather events.”
The funds also will be used to build a safe, temporary detour near the Wyoming-Idaho border that restores critical access to popular tourist destinations such as Jackson Hole, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Teton National Park.
“The Federal Highway Administration is working closely with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to repair the damage caused by the landslide at Teton Pass,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said. “The Emergency Relief funding we are providing will help get repairs done as soon as possible and restore temporary access to the area during the busy summer tourist season.”
On Saturday, June 8, 2024, Wyoming State Highway 22, also known as Teton Pass, experienced a catastrophic landslide causing a complete loss of the roadway at milepost 12.8. Another landslide occurred a day earlier at milepost 15 covering the highway in mud and debris. No vehicles were on the highway at the time of the collapse and there were no injuries reported.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon issued an executive order on June 8 declaring an emergency in response to both landslides. WYDOT crews are evaluating the stability of the area and are assessing potential safety hazards. State geologists and engineers are confident they can build a safe, temporary, two-lane detour around the slide area within a few weeks using local fill material with likely weight and width restrictions.
Drainage improvements, including a box culvert at the mudslide site at milepost 15, are also planned to be added while work on the temporary roadway is taking place. The goal is to restore essential traffic flow between Wyoming and Idaho for the residents, commuters and tourists who rely on this critical roadway to reach their destinations. Without a direct route, a normal 30-minute commute can take an hour and a half.
On June 17, during his visit to Cheyenne, Buttigieg received operational updates on the emergency response to the landslide from Gordon, WYDOT Director Darin Westby and WYDOT staff.
State officials and the U.S. Forest Service are working to provide access to recreation areas and trails outside the slide area and to place signage on the roads to allow users to access campsites unaffected by the closure.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
