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‘Catastrophic Landslide’ Closes Critical Highway Linking Idaho & Wyoming Indefinitely

June 8, 2024

Critical Highway Linking Idaho and Wyoming Closed Indefinitely after Catastrophic Landslide — The roadway at milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass after it collapsed June 8 2024. Wyoming Highway Patrol

A vital highway connecting Idaho and Wyoming has been indefinitely closed following a “catastrophic landslide” that caused part of the road to crack and collapse on Saturday, officials reported.

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced on Facebook that there is currently no estimated timeline for reopening Teton Pass, the route between Victor, Idaho, and Jackson, Wyoming.

The roadway at milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass, has catastrophically failed, and a long term closure is expected. WYDOT crews, along with contract crews from Evans Construction, were working in the area to construct a detour around the damage, but the landslide continued to move, taking out the whole road. No crews were hurt in the process, and no equipment was damaged. WYDOT is now reviewing a long term solution and repairs, and more information on planning efforts will be available soon. In addition, the mudslide at milepost 15 on Teton Pass, has breached the roadway with mud and debris, overwhelming the channeled drainage ditch and culvert. Crews are working on clearing the mud and debris this morning.

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Cracks Appeared

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) stated in a Facebook post that the initial crack appeared Thursday morning, spanning both lanes of the road.

Critical Commuter Route

The Teton Pass corridor “serves as a critical commuter route and facilitates the transport of goods and services that are lifelines to the growing regional economies in Wyoming and Idaho,” according to the US Department of Transportation.

A separate mudslide closed the road on June 7, 2024. Wyoming Department of Transportation

“WYDOT engineers, surveyors and geologists mobilized quickly to try to maintain highway viability as long as possible, but catastrophic failure could not be avoided. WYDOT remains on site decisively engaged on fixing the road and restoring connectivity to the Teton Valley,” WYDOT Director Darin Westby said in a statement.

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/wydotjackson/

https://www.facebook.com/governormarkgordon

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/08/us/teton-pass-crack-landslide-collapse/index.html