'Catastrophic' landslide closes critical mountain highway between Wyoming and Idaho
A landslide caused the roadway at Teton Pass in Wyoming to collapse and crumble, in what the state’s department of transportation described as a catastrophic failure Saturday.
A landslide caused the roadway at Teton Pass in Wyoming to collapse and crumble, in what the state’s department of transportation described as a catastrophic failure Saturday.
A large crack had appeared across both lanes Thursday, the Wyoming Department of Transportation said at the time. The crack had dropped vertically roughly 8 inches in some places, causing unsafe driving conditions, the agency said. It was patched and traffic resumed but a mudslide a couples of miles away Friday morning prompted the road to be closed again.
Crews tried to construct a detour around the damage, the transportation department said, “but the landslide continued to move, taking out the whole road.”
No crews were harmed and no equipment was damaged, the transportation department said.
It’s unclear how long it will take to reopen the road. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said the transportation department is working on “a long-term solution to rebuild the roadway.”
Rating: 5