Slide repairs planned beginning Tuesday on Chief Joe Slide; engineers available to meet with residents Tuesday afternoon

A private contractor and Wyoming Department of Transportation personnel will perform temporary repairs beginning about 8 a.m. Tuesday on the Chief Joe Slide on WYO 296 northwest of Cody.

"The contractor will be soil nailing the remaining driving lane in place," said WYDOT resident engineer Todd Frost of Cody. "Soil nailing is a remedial measure commonly used around the world to treat unstable natural soil slopes."

During the soil nailing repairs, traffic delays of 60 minutes are expected on WYO 296. "The roadway will be cleared of traffic at the top of every hour," Frost said.

The contractor is Geological Stabilization, Inc., (GSI) of Grand Junction, Colorado. GSI was dispatched to Wind River Canyon last spring to perform soil nailing in several places.

"Soil nailing is a temporary fix at best and is being done to keep the roadway as safe as possible," Frost said.

Parts of the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WYO 296) slid downhill this past Thursday (April 19), and single-lane traffic control over the slide area has been in place since then. The slide area is located in the same location as a similar slope failure last spring. 

Frost said a more permanent, long-term fix is being designed for the Chief Joe Slide, and it may be constructed beginning this summer.

The Chief Joe Slide is located at milepost 26.1, about 20 miles west of WYO 296's intersection with WYO 120, northwest of Cody.

WYDOT District Engineer Pete Hallsten and District Maintenance Engineer Lyle Lamb will be available to answer questions about the Chief Joe Slide from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Chief Joseph RV Park, formerly the Painter Outpost, near the Clark's Fork River.

For information about WYDOT's work, contact public relations specialist Cody Beers at (307) 431-1803.