A
devastating landslide has closed a mountain road between Wyoming and Idaho that
could threaten access to national parks, among other things.
The incident
happened Saturday.
The
road linking the two states is expected to be closed indefinitely.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon wrote
on Facebook that the road connects Victor, Idaho and Jackson, Wyoming, and is
part of the Teton Pass.
Wyoming Department of
Transportation (WYDOT) officials said the first cracks started to appear on
Thursday and were as deep as eight inches in some places, making driving
conditions unsafe. Although the initial
cracks were able to be patched, a later landslide collapsed the road.
“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 wrote. “No crews were hurt in the process, and no equipment
was damaged.”
Gordon called it "catastrophic."
“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.
Repair work is ongoing but
there is no timetable.
“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.
The Teton Pass includes Grand Teton
National Park and “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 U.S. Department of
Transportation.
It is not
the first time something like this has happened.
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