Wyoming

[Rothman]

Some more info on the road failure on WY 22, which will add an hour to travel times between Jackson, WY and Victor, ID:

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/road-teton-pass-catastrophically-failed/277-47ce2a4b-009b-4b32-a6f6-0272eb1d7230

Having lived nearby, Teton Pass was a nice shortcut, but not intolerable when it closed, as it does frequently during the winter.

[andy3175]

Some more info on the road failure on WY 22, which will add an hour to travel times between Jackson, WY and Victor, ID:

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/road-teton-pass-catastrophically-failed/277-47ce2a4b-009b-4b32-a6f6-0272eb1d7230

Yes, it is now much worse. Here is another link for an update (https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/08/teton-pass-faces-long-closure-after-catastrophic-failure-overnight-friday/) as well as a photo of damage to the road:

A "catastrophic failure" of Wyoming Highway 22 over Teton Pass overnight Friday has washed away a huge section of the lifeline corridor between Jackson, Wyoming, and Victor, Idaho, the Wyoming Department of Transportation reports.

No vehicles were on the road as it had been closed earlier Friday because of a mudslide. Road troubles began Thursday after a large crack stretching across both highways was spotted in the road.

A significant portion of the highway at milepost 12.8 has collapsed into the ravine below, while significant portions of the remaining road are cracked and tilted, WYDOT reports, adding that the road faces a long, indefinite closure. ...

Highway 22 was closed for most of Friday because of a mudslide that covered both lanes near milepost 15. WYDOT spent most of the day clearing the road, but reported that the mudslide "breached the roadway with mud and debris, overwhelming the channeled drainage ditch and culvert." ...

With Teton Pass closed until further notice, commuters who regularly travel along the primary route between Jackson and Victor will need to find an alternative route. The best workaround is to travel south through Alpine, Wyoming. That takes an hour and 45 minutes compared to the 35 minutes it takes over the pass.

The article mentions an earlier study as well as social media discussion to consider constructing a tunnel on Teton Pass, but that costly proposal is not currently being proposed.

[CtrlAltDel]

For the record, the collapsed roadway is located about here:

[froggie]

A college classmate of mine works at the NWS office that covers that area.  She said they've had a lot of snowmelt over the past week, which contributed to the mudslides and triggered the failure.

[Bobby5280]

That really sucks. Anyone wanting to do the 20 mile or so drive between Jackson and Victor will now have at least another hour's worth of driving added to the trip. Gotta go clear down to Alpine Junction for the nearest highway crossing through the mountains.

[webny99]

That really sucks. Anyone wanting to do the 20 mile or so drive between Jackson and Victor will now have at least another hour's worth of driving added to the trip. Gotta go clear down to Alpine Junction for the nearest highway crossing through the mountains.

I've read reports that there are commuters that live on the Idaho side and commute to Wyoming for work. I wouldn't have thought there would be many commuters, but if there are, their summer just got a whole lot less pleasant. At least it's summer weather and probably a beautiful drive, because that would pretty much be a non-starter in winter weather.

[Rothman]

That really sucks. Anyone wanting to do the 20 mile or so drive between Jackson and Victor will now have at least another hour's worth of driving added to the trip. Gotta go clear down to Alpine Junction for the nearest highway crossing through the mountains.

I've read reports that there are commuters that live on the Idaho side and commute to Wyoming for work. I wouldn't have thought there would be many commuters, but if there are, their summer just got a whole lot less pleasant. At least it's summer weather and probably a beautiful drive, because that would pretty much be a non-starter in winter weather.

Pfft.  Such commuters are hopefully seasonal.  Like I said, the pass closes frequently in the winter.

[Bobby5280]

The way the reports are putting it that segment of WY-22 will be closed indefinitely. I don't know how long it will take for them to re-build that triangle shaped berm that served as the platform for the highway.

[andy3175]

Quite a bit of traffic is taking US 26-89 as an alternative to WYO 22 over Teton Pass.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/12/wyoming-idaho-commuters-say-teton-pass-star-valley-detour-is-brutal/

Meanwhile, crews are working to bypass the "Big Fill Slide" so WYO 22 could reopen in some capacity. Some work is shown in the following photo:



https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/2024-06-11/crews-working-on-temporary-bypass-around-collapsed-section-of-teton-pass-highway

At a town meeting later Monday, Teton County Emergency Management Coordinator Rich Ochs told town councilors WYDOT is cutting down trees to build the detour to the side of the collapsed roadway.

But ultimately, he couldn't share much about the plan. Highway 22 is a state roadway, meaning it's primarily state agencies making the decisions using primarily state resources.

"Our costs are mostly indirect," Ochs said.

Geologists and engineers are evaluating the stability of the area WYDOT has dubbed "Big Fill" to put together a long-term plan to rebuild the roadway, but there's no timeline for construction as of now. WYDOT said it will be flying the area with a survey plane and doing some geological drilling in preparation for the reconstruction. ...

The blowout at Wyoming Highway 22 milepost 12.8 follows a separate mudslide at milepost 15, which crews continue to manage. Geologists and engineers are installing a box culvert to provide more drainage to the affected area. WYDOT said its goal is to finish this work by the time the temporary detour at milepost 12.8 is ready for limited traffic.

Some are trying to access Grand Teton and Jackson via other roads, including Reclamation Road (Grassy Lake Road), but there are concerns about conditions including ongoing snow thaw.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/12/theres-a-secret-road-from-idaho-to-jackson-but-youll-probably-need-a-jeep/

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/13/park-service-dont-try-secret-route-to-jackson-now-youll-get-stuck-in-snow/

There's a secret route that people living in Idaho's Teton Valley all know about as an alternate route over to the wealthy enclave of Jackson, Wyoming, to do their blue-collar work.

It's called Reclamation Road, and some locals think it may be time to dust off — or grade with a heavy equipment scraper— this possible route for travel.

To get there, you have to drive 25 miles or so north of Tetonia, look for the Squirrel cemetery near Ashton, then head east on a dirt and gravel road. About half the trip to Ashton is possible at 70 mph. The rest goes about half those speeds — or slower. ...

The Wyoming Department of Transportation isn't familiar with the Reclamation Road route because it is betting on a faster horse.

WYDOT's alternative to a washed out Highway 22 over Teton Pass in Wyoming is the reason why everyone drives more than 100 miles along five highways of bumper-to-bumper traffic from Victor, Idaho, at the border with Wyoming to Jackson.

This alternative route was developed after the 30-minute drive to Jackson was taken away in a landslide from Idahoans, who are frustrated that their blue-collar pay is now complicated with a big commute.

Highway 22's loss in Wyoming is a crushing blow to Idahoans.

The Cowboy State Daily map of Reclamation Road:

[triplemultiplex]

Here is a photo of some of the snow drifts that remain along the highway in early June:

The pattern left in the snow by the equipment makes it look like that cruiser has activated some kind of scifi weapon.

I've read reports that there are commuters that live on the Idaho side and commute to Wyoming for work. I wouldn't have thought there would be many commuters, but if there are, their summer just got a whole lot less pleasant. At least it's summer weather and probably a beautiful drive, because that would pretty much be a non-starter in winter weather.

Because Jackson has become a playground for the wealthy, housing is unaffordable for anyone working in the service industry.  Commuting from Idaho is often the best option for all the bartenders, waiters and housekeeping.

[andy3175]

Update on WYO 22... according to WyDOT, construction to build a detour of the collapsed section of WYO Hwy 22 over Teton Pass could be ready for driving by the middle of next week.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/18/teton-pass-temporary-fix-could-be-paved-and-re-open-by-middle-of-next-week

An end may be in sight for Jackson, Wyoming, workers who live in Idaho and have had to add hours of extra travel a day to get around a "catastrophic" failure of Highway 22 that has kept Teton Pass closed for a week and a half.

On June 8, a large chuck of the mountain slid away from under Highway 22 at milepost 12.8, sending it into the ravine below. This event and the full-blast, 24/7 road reconstruction effort is now being referred to as the "Big Fill Slide."

On Monday night, the Wyoming Department of Transportation announced that officials hope to have a temporary rerouting of the road paved by the middle of next week and the road opened to traffic "soon after."

[andy3175]

What is billed as the "last steel truss bridge" in Wyoming is no longer in service. Located in Sheridan County along Monarch Road, the bridge was built in 1909 and crossed the Tongue River not far from Interstate 90/U.S. 14-87 Exit 14 (Jct. WYO Hwy 345 Acme Road), about midway between Ranchester and Sheridan. The 115-year-old bridge formerly served a large underground coal mine that has not been in service for decades, and it currently connects WYO 345 and I-90 to the Padlock Ranch. While the old bridge has been removed, a temporary bridge is in service until the permanent bridge can be completed later this year.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/16/115-year-old-last-remaining-wyoming-steel-truss-bridge-put-out-to-pasture/

The last remaining old steel truss bridge in Wyoming never really failed, it was retired and literally put out to pasture last week northeast of Sheridan.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation and Sheridan County Road and Bridge are replacing the original 115-year-old Monarch Bridge across the Tongue River that once saw thousands of miners and tons of coal safely across when it led to one of the state's most important and largest underground coal mines during the early decades of the last century.

Sheridan WYDOT Resident Engineer Jake Whisonant said that according to known records, the structure was "the oldest steel truss bridge of its kind on a WYDOT or county road system in the state." ... "We don't construct truss bridges now because the technology has advanced and there are cheaper and more efficient ways to do it," he said. "But those old truss bridges look pretty cool." ...

The project includes a collaboration with the Padlock Ranch, which owns the property where the bridge will sit, and the Sheridan Community Land Trust, which has researched the history of the bridge and is providing language for a historical marker. ...

A story in the Sheridan Enterprise on Aug. 3, 1909, with a Monarch dateline reported: "The board of county commissioners awarded today the contract for a bridge on Tongue River near Alger to the Canton Bridge company to cost $2,100."

In addition to a vehicle side of the bridge, there also a small railroad trestle side as well laid with mine car tracks that allowed the company to take coal across the river to the tipple and into the railroad cars. ...

In its heyday, Monarch boasted a population of 800 people, and the underground mine produced 5 million tons of coal a year. A lot people walked and rode across the bridge over the years.

Knapp said even after the mine closed, people still lived in Monarch and used the bridge. The mine officially closed in 1953.

The property now is owned by Padlock Ranch, but eight to 10 vehicles still use the bridge daily. ...

WYDOT District 4 spokesperson Laura Dalles said the $2.5 million project is being funded through the Bridge Replacement Off System which allows local government agencies to tap into federal dollars through the state. Since those dollars flow through the state, WYDOT is overseeing the project.

Plans call for the new bridge to be completed sometime this fall.

[Max Rockatansky]

Considering how much Forest Service land is out there in Wyoming that is quite the claim.  I'm tempted to open up the archived version of bridgehunter and seeing if I can find another similar structure.

[andy3175]

Work is planned to begin in fall 2025 (with a three-year construction period) to widen the segment of Grand Loop Road between Norris and Mammoth that passes through Golden Gate Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. This busy summer route is implied to connect U.S. 89 through Yellowstone National Park.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/18/yellowstone-to-blast-nearly-100-000-tons-of-rock-to-widen-golden-gate-canyon/

Yellowstone National Park's next major road project will include blasting nearly 100,000 tons of rock that remains from a prehistoric volcanic explosion, and the feds are giving the park $22 million to do it.

Starting in fall 2025, the Federal Highways Administration money will be used to significantly transform Golden Gate Canyon in northwest Yellowstone to make the corridor to Mammoth Hot Springs more scenic, safe and accessible.

The three-year project includes removing 96,000 tons of the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff from the sheer cliffs on the western wall of Golden Gate Canyon. The tuff, or volcanic rock formed by millions of years of compaction, is extremely tough, so removing that much rock will require explosives.

"You don't take out 90,000 tons of rock without blasting," Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly told Cowboy State Daily on. Tuesday.

Golden Gate improvements are part of nine projects totaling more than $370 million in Infrastructure Act money to replace bridges and roads in Yellowstone, including the ongoing replacement of the Yellowstone Bridge, expected to be completed in 2026. ...

(Landscape Architect Dan) Rhodes said they will strategically blast the three "noses" of rock abutting the road. This will mitigate potential rockfall hazards and allow for widening of the existing road.

"We'll be removing around 70,000 cubic yards, roughly 96,000 tons of rock," he said. "This road is approximately 22 to 24 feet wide, and we're building to our standard 30 feet. We'll also have safety rockfall ditches on the mountainside."

The project's scope will allow for other needed improvements, such as replacing aging waterline transporting raw water to the Mammoth Water Treatment Plant. The Golden Gate viaduct will be resurfaced, but Rhodes said it doesn't need any significant work. ...

Bunsen Peak and Glenn Peak will receive new parking areas, and a new pedestrian pathway will lead to an overlook of Rustic Falls. Existing pullouts will be reinforced and expanded to improve visitor safety.

The huckleberry tuff blasted from Golden Gate will be incorporated into the new infrastructure. Masons will shape blocks of rock to build up and reinforce the prenylated rock walls built in the canyon in the 1930s.

Rhodes said the finished project will be evocative of the improvements at Gibbon Falls, another project he worked on. He and his colleagues are often inspired by previous projects while working to ensure their work compliments the classic aesthetic of Yellowstone.

[andy3175]

Natrona County Road 505, which follows Circle Drive Road and links WYO Hwy 487 with the southern approach to Casper Mountain, has a segment that is privately owned by the Woodbury family. The county sued to stop the family from closing off CR 505, but the family has legal ownership.



https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/19/natrona-county-sues-ranchers-over-threat-to-close-off-road/

The attorney for a Natrona County ranch and family is pleading with the Natrona County Commission to resolve growing problems with people trespassing, littering and damaging their private property that's accessed by an "alleged" county road.

In turn, commissioners have sued the family to stop them from carrying through with a threat to close off the road.

Attorney John A. Masterson told commissioners Tuesday that he and his clients, Stephanie and Walt Woodbury and their ranch operation Woodbury Land and Livestock, were surprised to learn about the lawsuit filed Monday seeking an injunction against them.

The lawsuit was in response to a June 14 letter the Woodburys sent to the county threatening to block off County Road 505, which goes 13.5 miles from the top of Casper Mountain south to Highway 487. ...

Earlier in the meeting, commissioners approved a consent agenda with a resolution to start the process to make the road that for years has been labeled "County Road 505" and "Circle Drive" a legal county road.

The family contends in the June 14 letter that they own the road and have been granting access through it for years. The county never legally got ownership of the road, which is now also being used to haul gravel and other materials for construction projects and has been maintained by the county for years.

The road also serves as an evacuation route for Casper Mountain residents in the event of a fire.

Discussion at a commission work session Tuesday afternoon confirmed that the family is correct, and County Attorney Heather Duncan-Malone told commissioners that the county never legally established ownership of the road. ...

Duncan-Malone said approval of the resolution will start the process of the county getting possession of the road through "prescription" or "adverse possession." To do that, the county needs to conduct a survey and plat of the proposed road and then must publish "its notice of intent to establish this road."

She said the survey and plat would be filed, then publish the notice of the county's intent to establish the road and set a deadline for any "objections" from those who have an interest in the lands on which the road accesses. She said a hearing date about the road would follow. ...

Wyoming law states that to claim "adverse possession," the land has to be occupied openly, exclusively and continuously for 10 years.

Duncan-Malone said notice of the hearing date would be sent through certified mail and then at the end, commissioners would issue "conclusions of law," and if anyone objects or wants to appeal that decision, they have the ability to do that through the district court.

Meanwhile, the county commission's lawsuit in Natrona County District Court is asking for a restraining order and preliminary injunction against the closure of the road. As of Tuesday afternoon, no injunction had been issued.

The Woodburys initially had threatened to close the road at 8 a.m. Wednesday, but by Thursday morning it was still open. ...

In their lawsuit, the county commissioners state that the road is key to providing public access to Muddy Mountain, hundreds of acres of federal and state land, as well as access to the properties of private property owners. The county has maintained and improved the road for the past 10 years.

"County Road 505 is used for evacuation purposes as well as a road for firefighting," the lawsuits states. "Currently, there are construction projects that utilize County Road 505, totaling $18,186,247 of taxpayers' dollars."

An affidavit filed by Natrona County Road and Bridge Supervisor Mike Haigler with the lawsuit states that the road is a southern extension of Casper Mountain Road and becomes Circle Drive at the Hogadon Road intersection. The affidavit states the road connects to Coal Mountain Road and to State Highway 487.

Haigler's affidavit states that the road in part is bordered by BLM or state land, has posted speed limit signs and directional signage put up by the BLM or Natrona County Parks. He said the road serves many private property owners.

[davewiecking]

Update on WYO 22... according to WyDOT, construction to build a detour of the collapsed section of WYO Hwy 22 over Teton Pass could be ready for driving by the middle of next week.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/18/teton-pass-temporary-fix-could-be-paved-and-re-open-by-middle-of-next-week

An end may be in sight for Jackson, Wyoming, workers who live in Idaho and have had to add hours of extra travel a day to get around a "catastrophic" failure of Highway 22 that has kept Teton Pass closed for a week and a half.

On June 8, a large chuck of the mountain slid away from under Highway 22 at milepost 12.8, sending it into the ravine below. This event and the full-blast, 24/7 road reconstruction effort is now being referred to as the "Big Fill Slide."

On Monday night, the Wyoming Department of Transportation announced that officials hope to have a temporary rerouting of the road paved by the middle of next week and the road opened to traffic "soon after."

Opened about an hour ago. Will post a non-FB link if I stumble across one.

https://www.facebook.com/100064686821344/posts/pfbid0KPpTdTSGiSdRHA9EZDzKbFmDf6ppSmo5Fkc15LpFMAXNSAKsF4ixQtYf1VXKJtBVl/?

[CtrlAltDel]

Opened about an hour ago. Will post a non-FB link if I stumble across one.

I did find this:
https://visitjacksonhole.com/teton-pass-closure-information

With this interesting picture:

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jin2QtgqGBLEKt9L9
What is the PORT OF ENTRY at Lingle mean on this guide sign?

Also why is there a designated business route for US 85 in Torrington when the mainline that bypasses it is a little longer?  Not to mention the Downtown area of Torrington is north of US 85 Business' northern terminus. So this don't even serve a business district at all.

[CtrlAltDel]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jin2QtgqGBLEKt9L9
What is the PORT OF ENTRY at Lingle mean on this guide sign?

A port of entry is essentially a weigh station, where they check trucks and bills of lading and all that. They also deal with fuel permits and similar things.

[pderocco]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jin2QtgqGBLEKt9L9
What is the PORT OF ENTRY at Lingle mean on this guide sign?

Also why is there a designated business route for US 85 in Torrington when the mainline that bypasses it is a little longer?  Not to mention the Downtown area of Torrington is north of US 85 Business' northern terminus. So this don't even serve a business district at all.

The POE is about 2-3 miles up the road. It's common for POEs to be quite far from the border, if there's nothing between that allows them to be easily bypassed.

The business route looks reasonable. Coming into the town from the south, even if you're not interested in the motels and restaurant on that short stretch, it's still a better route into downtown than the bypass.

[andy3175]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jin2QtgqGBLEKt9L9
What is the PORT OF ENTRY at Lingle mean on this guide sign?

Also why is there a designated business route for US 85 in Torrington when the mainline that bypasses it is a little longer?  Not to mention the Downtown area of Torrington is north of US 85 Business' northern terminus. So this don't even serve a business district at all.

The POE is about 2-3 miles up the road. It's common for POEs to be quite far from the border, if there's nothing between that allows them to be easily bypassed.

The business route looks reasonable. Coming into the town from the south, even if you're not interested in the motels and restaurant on that short stretch, it's still a better route into downtown than the bypass.

The business route has an at-grade railroad crossing, and the bypass route has a grade separation over those same railroad tracks. Since the railroad is fairly busy, the new grade separation helps keep the flow of US 85 moving even when a train is passing through Torrington.

It seems Wyoming 92 continues to follow the business route rather than joining the newer bypass.