WYDOT has revised restrictions on Teton Pass

JACKSON, Wyo. – The Wyoming Department of Transportation will open up WYO 22, Teton Pass to trailer traffic under a 60,000 lbs gross vehicle weight (GVW) restriction starting May 1. This is a change from this week’s earlier announcement of a 40,000 lbs maximum GVW restriction. Instead, WYDOT will be lowering the maximum speed limit on the pass and closing the parking area on top of the pass to utilize it as a mandatory brake check area for vehicles. Currently, there is only one escape ramp open on WYO 22 Teton Pass, located at milepost 8.2, which is approximately a mile above the current closed vehicle arrestor.
 
“We at WYDOT, as part of our mission, try to accommodate the movement of goods and services to the greatest extent feasible. In this current economic climate, we realize that this mission is as important as ever. So we have elected not to change the GVW and implement some other changes such as a reduction in the posted speed limit for trucks and enforcing the need to check a vehicle’s brakes prior to descending the pass. The ultimate goal here is to ensure the safety of those using the pass by changing driver behavior,” District Engineer Keith Compton said.
 
The existing catch-net vehicle arrestor system will be modified and re-opened later this summer. WYDOT is currently pursuing a temporary “sand barrel array” system, which should be in place in the next few weeks. These new temporary safety measures will take place in advance of the construction of the temporary sand barrel array system.  

Dynamic message signs will be utilized to notify drivers of the brake inspection station at the Teton Pass Summit pullout. Parking for backcountry users will still be available at other pullouts, the closest being the “overflow lot”/snowplow turnaround just a quarter mile east of the summit. Parking will be actively restricted until the catch-net arrestor system is functional again. 

In addition, the maximum posted speed on WYO 22 Teton Pass will be reduced from 55 mph to 45 mph for trucks.   

The Wyoming Highway Patrol will be increasing patrols in the area and the Weigh-in-Motion system (WIM) on Teton Pass will continue to notify authorities when vehicles are over the 60,000 lbs restriction.  
 
Drivers can sign up for 511 Notify alerts at WYDOT's 511 website. 
 
WYDOT would like to remind drivers to slow down in winter conditions, and obey all roadside signs and closures. For more information on road closures and weather conditions, please visit WYDOT's 511 website. 

For more information about this release contact:

Stephanie Harsha, WYDOT Public Involvement, at (307) 352-3065
For the latest road conditions, visit WYDOT's 511 website, call 5-1-1, or download the Wyoming 511 app.