Idaho/Wyoming — Teton Pass can be a difficult road to manage. Idaho 33 & Wyoming 22 is a narrow, windy road in a mountainous environment, and is no stranger to disaster. The landslide of 2024 closed the road for weeks, and it’s frequently closed due to avalanche risks.
Its latest event was man-made, but was luckily quickly taken care of. Early Monday morning, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) closed the road for avalanche mitigation. Recent snowfall and a human-caused avalanche over the weekend made the move essential for driver safety. However, during mitigation, the slide crashed onto the road, creating a snow pile up to 35 feet deep. Then the hard work began.
The original assessment was that it would be closed until early Tuesday afternoon. However, road crews used machinery like loaders to push the heavy snow around, leading to a clean-up time of around 14 hours. It reopened early Monday evening.
Shoutout to WYDOT and the Idaho Transportation Department for their year-round hard work in keeping Teton Pass operational.
Image/Video Credits: WYDOT Teton County, Idaho Transportation Department
