Landslide destroys section of Wyoming's Teton Pass over 3 short days

WILSON, Wyo. (KUTV) — A section of Wyoming highway between Jackson and the Idaho border was completely torn away in a landslide, leaving a gaping chasm where Teton Pass used to be.

In three days, the damage went from a few subtle cracks along a curve on Wyoming Route 22 to a total topographical transformation.

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, state Route 22 was first closed Thursday as crews worked to repair road damage. It was "temporarily patched," according to a social media post, and the road reopened.

On Friday, a mudslide left a portion of the roadway covered, while moving away sections of earth beneath it in others.

"Due to the continued movement at milepost 12.8, crews are now working on a temporary solution to stabilize the slide area by removing the asphalt on the roadway, minimizing the weight on the unstable ground," the department posted early Friday morning. "This in turn will help reduce the driving force pushing the movement."

By Friday evening, though, cracks in the roadway that had just been patched had reopened and grown. By Saturday, the mudslide had removed the section at milepost 12.8 completely.

"The roadway at milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass, has catastrophically failed, and a long term closure is expected," according to WYDOT, whose crews and other contracted workers "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."

In a statement released Saturday, WYDOT Director Darin Westby said there was nothing crews could have done to stop the entire hillside from giving way.

”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," Westby said in the statement. "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. Safety is our utmost priority, and we ask that recreationists and curious residents avoid the area until it can be stabilized.”

The highway is now closed, and authorities have no estimated time for its reopening. It's unclear how long rebuilding the road may take.

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