CNN
—
About three weeks after a landslide prompted officials to close a major highway near Grand Teton National Park, a detour has opened to public traffic, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
In early June, a crack appeared in Wyoming Highway 22 near Teton Pass and officials closed the road for patching. The road reopened to traffic, but just two days later the road collapsed.
A paved two-lane bypass opened Friday, with traffic limited to vehicles under 60,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
“Professional geologists from (the department) have evaluated the stability of the detour. Geotechnical analysis confirms that the temporary detour meets or exceeds the minimum requirements set forth in Federal Highway Administration guidelines,” the transportation department said in a news release.
The Teton Pass corridor “serves as a critical commuter route and facilitates the transportation of goods and services that are lifelines to the growing regional economies in Wyoming and Idaho,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
According to an image on the Facebook page of the Teton County Department of Transportation office, the detour was built just inside the section of Highway 22 that collapsed.
The new road is about 180 meters long and has a sharper curve than the collapsed highway section. A new drainage was added.
Stunning drone footage shows the extent of the Teton Pass landslide
Engineers and others are redesigning the original section of the highway, and the transportation department’s goal is to have a rebuilt road before winter.