Wildlife crossing projects progress in Teton County, Wyoming

At the southern end of the mighty Teton Range is Teton Pass. Wildlife and people have been crossing this landscape for eons. Wyoming Highway 22 crosses Teton Pass connecting Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Teton Valley, Idaho. The lands surrounding Teton Pass are home to many of Greater Yellowstone’s well-loved wildlife species. Teton Pass is not just a corridor for moving people; it is crucial wildlife habitat and a major migratory corridor for moose, elk, and mule deer. However, the busy highway bisecting Teton Pass makes it difficult for wildlife to safely move, too often resulting in collisions that harm both people and animals. 

To create safer roads for people and ensure wildlife can move and migrate more easily in Teton County, wildlife crossing structures are being built. Wildlife crossing structures—both overpasses and underpasses and their associated fences—are reliable, long-term solutions for reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions. 

After three years of planning, Teton County, Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), and their contractors have broken ground on the Snake River Bridge replacement and reconstruction of the Wyoming Highway 22 and Highway 390 intersection. Four wildlife crossing structures will be installed during this project, two of them funded through the 2019 Special Purpose Excise Tax, and are expected to be completed by 2025. The Highway 22 and Highway 390 intersection, also known as the Village Road intersection, and Snake River Bridge area is known to be a wildlife-vehicle collision hotspot. The data, dead animals, and wrecked cars are proof. 

An aerial view of the Snake River Bridge construction project, which will include wildlife crossing structures. The structures will reduce wildlife-vehicle collision on this busy highway near Jackson, Wyoming. (Photo Snake River Fund)

This wildlife-vehicle collision hotspot occupies just over one mile of the 24-mile Teton Pass corridor, which encompasses Wyoming Highway 22 and Idaho Highway 33. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), WYDOT and Teton County Public Works are currently studying infrastructure improvements along the Teton Pass corridor running from the Snake River Bridge west to downtown Victor, Idaho. The highway is an economic artery for western Wyoming and eastern Idaho and the area around Teton Pass is a year-round public lands recreation destination.  

The vast amount of wildlife habitat along the Teton Pass corridor is managed by two national forests—Bridger-Teton National Forest and Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Moose, elk, and mule deer frequent the area and often find themselves crossing roads, increasing the possibility of wildlife-vehicle collisions. According to Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation’s citizen-collected data from 1991 to 2020, 439 wildlife-vehicle collisions have been documented on Teton Pass. It has been confirmed that 243 mule deer and 157 moose have been killed by vehicles in the 3.75 miles between the Coal Creek trailhead and the Wyoming-Idaho state line. WYDOT traffic counts, reported wildlife-vehicle collisions, and recreational visits are all trending up.

The bottom line is wildlife are being squeezed. 

A map of the Teton Pass corridor, which extends from Wyoming to Idaho in prime ungulate (hoofed mammal) habitat. (Map from Federal Highway Administration)

The good news is professional engineers are looking at a range of options for transportation infrastructure, trailhead development, and wildlife crossing structures to improve transportation safety in the corridor. A draft Teton Pass Corridor Study has just been released to the public providing a wide array of capital and operational scenarios for the community to review. However, a major problem for wildlife exists — the study and its range of solutions stop at the state line. That means safe wildlife crossings are only being considered for the two-thirds of the Teton Pass corridor on the Wyoming side. Unfortunately, the 5.5 miles of Idaho Highway 33 west of the state line to downtown Victor, Idaho lack wildlife-vehicle collision data and are not being considered in this planning effort. 

Ask any Teton Valley, Idaho-based daily commuter where wildlife are hit and killed — they’ll tell you, ‘west of the state line, near Mike Harris campground.’ If wildlife crossings are built in Wyoming from Coal Creek to the state line including fences, underpasses, and overpasses and the project terminates at the Idaho state line, wildlife-vehicle collisions will only skyrocket west of the Idaho border. We need to find a solution that integrates both states and provides wildlife and people a cohesive plan for a safe Teton Pass. GYC is committed to working with both states and transportation departments to find opportunities for collaboration and success. 

Wildlife-vehicle collisions are deadly for people and wildlife. GYC is committed to collaborating and finding lasting solutions to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in Teton County and other hot spots in Greater Yellowstone. (Photo Mark Gocke)

So, what can we do to support mule deer, elk, moose, and this economic thoroughfare? 

First, slow down and be aware that Teton Pass bisects prime year-round wildlife habitat. Second, if you’re a Teton County, Idaho resident, you can engage your local elected officials and fellow residents to speak up for community safety and wildlife values. You should encourage the Victor City Council and Teton County Board of County Commissioners to ask Idaho Fish and Game to study big game movements around Teton Pass. Also, ask those elected officials to demand that the Idaho Transportation Department join FHWA, WYDOT, and Teton County, Wyoming in developing a holistic plan for the Teton Pass corridor. The state line may mean our taxes go to different capitals and agencies, but in the end, we are one community with shared values of maintaining human safety, healthy wildlife populations, wild landscapes, and world-class recreation opportunities. And oh, yeah, a lot of us also have to drive the pass to get to work every day. 

Our GYC staff here in Jackson, Wyoming and Driggs, Idaho are dedicated to supporting these wildlife crossing projects and advocating for comprehensive plans that transcend state boundaries. Thank you for your support and we’ll keep you posted with more wildlife crossing news. 

—Jared Baecker, Wyoming Conservation Coordinator 

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.

Banner Photo Mark Gocke