‘Catastrophic’ Landslide Causes Highway Between Wyoming and Idaho to Collapse and Close Indefinitely

“The landslide continued to move, taking out the whole road. No crews were hurt in the process,” transportation officials said

A mountainous highway in western Wyoming has been closed indefinitely after part of the road collapsed in what officials called a "catastrophic" road failure following a landslide.

On Saturday, June 8, transportation authorities announced that an area near milepost 12.8 on Teton Pass/Highway 22 — a highly traveled highway often used by working commuters and tourists traveling between Idaho and Jackson, Wyo. — had "catastrophically failed" after a landslide caused much of the road to fall down the side of the mountain.

“A long term closure is expected," the Wyoming Department of Transportation wrote in a Facebook post. "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. No crews were hurt in the process, and no equipment was damaged."

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The highway, which is built on the side of a mountain in Wyoming's Teton Range, first began showing signs of damage as early as Thursday, June 6, with the WYDOT warning commuters of closures.

Transportation authorities noted that the road was open on Thursday, as crews had "temporarily patched" roads to allow traffic warned drivers to "reduce their speed and drive cautiously through the area."

WYDOT Director Darin Westby wrote in a Facebook post shared by the WYDOT that the highway is a "lifeline" for "commuters, deliveries, medical care access and tourism,"

"WYDOT engineers, surveyors and geologists mobilized quickly to try to maintain highway viability as long as possible, but catastrophic failure could not be avoided," Westby continued. "WYDOT remains on site decisively engaged on fixing the road and restoring connectivity to the Teton Valley. Safety is our utmost priority, and we ask that recreationists and curious residents avoid the area until it can be stabilized."

A study published in February 2024 by the U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration noted that the region has experienced major growth in its number of residents and the amount of tourism and other business in the area, leading to more and more drivers using Teton Pass.

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Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon issued an Executive Order declaring an emergency on Saturday, noting that the highway would require "substantial repairs" to reopen.

"We are closely monitoring this ongoing situation, and Wyoming Department of Transportation personnel are working diligently to develop a long-term solution to rebuild this critical roadway," Gordon said in a press release. "I recognize the significant impacts this closure has to Teton County, regional commuters and the local economy."

Stephanie Harsha, a spokesperson for District 3 of WYDOT, Harsha told the Associated Press there is an alternate route between Jackson and Idaho, but it goes more than 60 miles out of the way and can add "quite a bit to any commute."

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"We were very, very lucky that no crews were harmed. No equipment was damaged," Harsha told the outlet. "So now, engineers and geologists are doing geological assessments on the pass. They’ve been looking at it all day."

The WYDOT has also announced a closure at milepost 15 on Teton Pass due to a mudslide, noting that the roadway was breached with mud and debris.

"Crews are working on clearing the mud and debris this morning," the department added.

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