A large section of a winding mountain pass road collapsed in Wyoming, officials reported on Saturday, creating a large gap in the highway and cutting off a commonly used route between small towns in eastern Idaho and the popular tourist spot of Jackson.
Aerial photos and drone footage of the collapse show the Teton Pass road cracked deeply, with a significant portion of the pavement completely gone. Part of the guardrail hung over the edge, and orange traffic barrels marked off the unsafe area. The road had been closed when the collapse occurred.
The trouble began on Thursday when a crack and dip in the road contributed to a motorcycle accident, drawing attention to the compromised section. Geologists and engineers dispatched to the site that day observed that the crack was becoming increasingly unstable, explained Stephanie Harsha, spokesperson for District 3 of the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
A temporary patch was applied by a paving crew, and traffic resumed briefly that night.
Damaged section of Teton Pass (Via Wyoming Highway Patrol)
However, the situation worsened overnight when maintenance crews were called to handle a mudslide a few miles away. This prompted the road to be closed again. By early Friday morning, crews noted that the pavement damage had significantly worsened.
As workers were assessing alternative routes around the compromised section later that night, the road “completely failed” by 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, Harsha stated.
“We were fortunate that no crews were injured and no equipment was damaged,” she said. “Now, engineers and geologists are conducting geological evaluations of the pass. They’ve been studying it all day.”
The transportation department announced via social media that the road experienced a “catastrophic failure” near milepost 12.8.
