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Teton Pass landslide prompts $6M federal relief for Wyoming road repairs

WYDOT provided this aerial photograph of detour work around the Big Fill Slide on June 13. The landslide is on the upper left. (WYDOT)

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced on June 21 the immediate availability of $6 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief funds for the Wyoming Department of Transportation to offset the costs of repairs in the Teton Range caused by a landslide earlier this month.

The funds will also 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, according to a press release by the department. 

“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,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated. “In discussing the situation with the Wyoming Department of Transportation, 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 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 stated. “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, 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. 

Crews have been working continuously to clean up the water, mud and debris that have been coming down the mountain at milepost 15. At milepost 12.8, crews are working as quickly as possible to build the detour around the highway failure. 

Wyoming Governor 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, likely with 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 the 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, Secretary Pete Buttigieg received operational updates on the emergency response to the landslide from Governor Mark 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. 

FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to states, territories, Tribes and Federal Land Management Agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These “quick release” Emergency Relief funds are an initial installment of funds toward restoring this essential transportation link.  Additional funds needed to repair damage in the Teton Pass area will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations.  

The FHWA Emergency Relief program complements Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and provisions by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration and repair of damaged infrastructure to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.  

More information about FHWA’s Emergency Relief program can be found online here.


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