A mountain pass highway in Wyoming will be closed indefinitely after a huge chunk of it collapsed in a “catastrophic” landslide on Saturday, officials said.
Photos and videos show the Teton Pass road, an important commuter link between towns in eastern Idaho and the popular tourist destination of Jackson, Wyoming, with a large section of the pavement gone after the collapse. The road had been closed when the collapse occurred.
The section that failed was initially closed on Thursday when a crack and a drop in the road created unsafe driving conditions. A crew temporarily patched the area, and traffic was allowed to resume moving that evening, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) said on social media.
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…
But hours later, a mudslide a few miles away led to the road to be closed again.
The transportation department said on Facebook on Saturday that the road had “catastrophically failed” at milepost 12.8.
“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,” the department said.
“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.”
The mudslide at milepost 15, the department added, had “breached the roadway with mud and debris, overwhelming the channeled drainage ditch and culvert.”
The department has been contacted for further comment via its website.
Governor Mark Gordon signed an executive order declaring an emergency, which his office said would help the state access additional resources from the Federal Highway Administration to begin repair work.
In a statement on Facebook, Gordon said he had met with WYDOT and the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security to coordinate a response to the “catastrophic landslide.”
“I am grateful for the efforts of WYDOT staff to protect public safety during this developing situation, and am thankful no one was injured during this incident,” Gordon said.
This morning I met with state officials from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Wyoming Office of Homeland Security to coordinate a response to the catastrophic landslide that has closed…
Geologists and engineers would be on site to make assessments and “develop a long-term solution to rebuild this critical roadway,” he said.
The governor said there was no estimated timeline for when the road would reopen. The road serves as a crucial commuter link for people who work in Jackson, close to Grand Teton National Park, but live across the border in Idaho,.
“I recognize the significant impacts this closure has to Teton County residents, regional commuters and the local economy, and we are in direct communication with local officials,” Gordon said.
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