JACKSON, WY (Associated Press) — A massive chunk of the meandering Teton Pass has collapsed, leaving a gaping dirt gash along the mountain pass that is a critical link between small eastern Idaho towns and the tourist destination of Jackson, Wyoming. The road was closed at the time the section of road fell away, authorities […]
A CATASTROPHIC mudslide caused a state highway to cave in completely.
The landslide occurred on Saturday morning at the State Highway 22 near Jackson, Wyoming.
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The landslide caused the entire highway to cave – and it is not drivable anymoreCredit: YOUTUBE/@WYDOTVIDEOS
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The road has a massive crater in it following the landslideCredit: FACEBOOK/Governor Mark Gordon/PHOTO COURTESY WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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The landslide occurred Saturday morningCredit: YOUTUBE/@WYDOTVIDEOS
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Authorities are unsure when the road will be open againCredit: YOUTUBE/@WYDOTVIDEOS
The Wyoming Department of Transportation warned drivers of the disaster.
“The roadway at milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass has catastrophically failed and a long-term closure is expected,” the National Weather Service office in Pocatello, Idaho said Saturday morning.
“No crews were hurt in the process, and no equipment was damaged. WYDOT is now reviewing a long-term solution and repairs.”
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Construction crews had been working on creating a detour around the damaged area and removing asphalt from the road to reduce the weight on the unstable ground.
However, the landslide continued to shift, ultimately destroying the entire road.
SCRAMBLING
The landslide “breached the roadway with mud and debris, overwhelming the channeled drainage ditch and culvert,” the National Weather Service said.
“Crews are working on clearing the mud and debris this morning.”
“Everybody is mobilizing,” Teton County Commission Chairman Luther Propst said, per Wyofile.
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“The county is considering camping options at the fairgrounds for Idaho commuters who work in Jackson Hole.
The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is also exploring camping possibilities, and St. John’s Health will certainly need to adapt quickly.
More than 300 feared dead after massive landslide buries entire villages
“The buzz is it will be closed for several weeks or months.”
State Highway 22 connects the Jackson Resort region with communities around Victor, Idaho.
Wyoming State Highway 22 had endured two days of mudslides and landslides.
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On Thursday, the area was temporarily closed after a landslide at milepost 12.8 caused eight-inch cracks in the road.
The buzz is it will be closed for several weeks or months
Teton County Commission Chairman Luther Props
The road was already closed due to a previous mudslide, so no vehicles or construction crews were present during the landslide.
Photos show the landslide took out both travel lanes at its widest point.
Officials have not provided a timeline for reopening the highway.
The closure has extended the usual 35-minute trip through Teton Pass to at least 1 hour and 35 minutes.
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The longer commute is particularly challenging for Teton Valley residents who work in Jackson, where high home prices and living costs have led many to live outside the area.
The U.S. has reached out to Jackson police for comment.
A critical highway linking Idaho and Wyoming has closed indefinitely after a portion of the road cracked and then collapsed in a “catastrophic landslide” Saturday, officials said.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said in a post on Facebook there is no estimated timeline for reopening Teton Pass, which links Victor, Idaho, and Jackson, Wyoming.
The initial crack appeared Thursday morning across both lanes of travel, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) said in a post on Facebook at the time.
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The crack across lanes dropped vertically roughly 8 inches in some places, causing unsafe driving conditions. A patch was put in place and traffic resumed until a mudslide in a different location on Friday closed the road.
Saturday morning, the roadway where the initial crack happened collapsed, WYDOT said, adding that the roadway had “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,” WYDOT added. “No crews were hurt in the process, and no equipment was damaged.”
Gordon said Saturday that he had met with WYDOT and Wyoming Office of Homeland Security officials 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,” the governor said.
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Work to repair the cracked roadway and mudslide had been anticipated to last into Saturday, according to the Department of Transportation, and then the cracked section of the roadway collapsed.
“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.
WYDOT says it is reviewing long term solutions and repairs to the highway and Westby urged the public to stay away from the site until it was stabilized.
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.
