First $6 million from feds secured for Teton Pass

JACKSON (WNE) — The first $6 million from the federal government to fix Teton Pass arrived Friday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration emphasized the immediate availability of the “quick release” emergency funds for the Wyoming Department of Transportation. WYDOT Director Darin Westby said it is only 20% of the $30 million the state applied for, but Wyoming is eligible for the other 80% of funds as the rebuild project moves ahead.

“In discussing the situation with the Wyoming Department of Transportation, it has been clear how urgent the need is to support their efforts to reconnect one of the region’s heavily traveled mountain thoroughfares — and to make our infrastructure more resilient to future weather events,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the announcement.

Expedited federal funds became an option when Gov. Mark Gordon issued an emergency declaration the day the pass collapsed on June 8.

“Without the DOT, the governor’s declaration and the federal delegation, we wouldn’t have been able to get that done,” Westby told a crowd of elected officials Tuesday at the landslide site.

Wyoming will be reimbursed for the money it has already spent repairing a mudslide at mile marker 15 and the portion of Teton Pass that collapsed at mile marker 12.8 due to a landslide. The Wyoming Transportation Commission, which holds the purse strings for the state transportation agency, approved $1.3 million for both projects.

The mudslide price tag was $880,860, and the bypass emergency estimate was $430,000. But Westby said the cost of the bypass to reopen the road has jumped more than $400,000 since its initial approval on June 11. He said after negotiations with contractors, Wyoming will have spent $1.8 million of its already tight budget.

The short-term bypass is set to be completed by the end of the week.

This story was published on June 26, 2024.