A planned bridge alternative challenge near Jackson, Wyoming, has been designed to deal with the wishes of human — and flora and fauna — vacationers. area collisions between motorists and animals, specially moose, might be reduced with the construction of a couple of natural world crossings. at the same time, the $28 million undertaking will boom public safety and reduce visitors congestion through replacing an aging bridge over the Snake River and enhancing a nearby highway intersection that could be a major source of delays.Wyoming bridge venture features
Key highways
approximately 17.five mi long, Wyoming toll road 22 extends west from the famous visitor vacation spot of Jackson to the nearby metropolis of Wilson and directly to the Idaho border. The number one route among those destinations, WYO 22 has an average every day visitors quantity of more than 15,000 vehicles.
And about five mi west of Jackson, WYO 22 crosses the Snake River. due to the fact 1960, an 884.5 feet lengthy steel girder bridge with lanes of visitors has stood on the web page. In 2014, the growing older bridge became “deemed structurally poor and fracture important, that means that any extensive harm should render it unusable,” says Peter Stinchcomb, P.E., the development engineer for the Wyoming department of Transportation’s District three, which encompasses the southwest segment of the nation. “it’s also beyond its life span and in negative situation.”
just west of the Snake River, in Wilson, WYO 22 connects with the south quit of WYO 390. roughly 15 mi long, WYO 390 runs north to Teton Village — the house of the famed Jackson hollow Mountain inn — and on to the Grand Teton national Park, a major visitor vacation spot. but, tourists are not the most effective ones the use of the two Wyoming highways. due to the high price of dwelling in Jackson, most of the people hired within the town shuttle to their jobs, frequently the usage of one or both roadways.Wyoming bridge venture features
‘Collision location for moose’
as the most effective neighborhood connection among Jackson and the nearby cities west of the Snake River, the existing bridge over the waterway is a “key crossing point for Teton County,” Stinchcomb says. The bridge additionally serves as a “essential route for emergency responders within the location,” he notes. meanwhile, the place of the bridge is a famous spot for public access to diverse types of exercise, which includes river rafting, bicycling, and pedestrian use. “there are numerous competing hobbies within the location that upload complex factors to transportation choices,” Stinchcomb says.
The area in and around the Snake River Bridge and the intersection of WYO 22 and WYO 390 also provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including moose, deer, and elk.
“Wildlife is highly prioritized in this area, as it affects tourism and is a part of the cultural aesthetic of the valley,” says Stephanie Harsha, a WYDOT public relations specialist. “This particular area is very visible to the public, and tourists will often come to see moose and elk. There are moose in this area year-round, and (they) have been recorded crossing (WYO 22) up to 150 times a year. The wildlife in the area also tend to create ‘wildlife jams,’ where traffic is slowed or stopped to view or wait for wildlife.”Wyoming bridge venture features
“Although this area is not regarded as a hot spot for the frequency of vehicle collisions from a statewide perspective, it is a collision area for moose in particular,” Harsha says.
Protecting wildlife
Like the original span, the 980 ft long replacement bridge will consist of a steel girder structure. The new crossing will be wide enough to accommodate four 12 ft lanes with 8 ft shoulders on either side. Key considerations during the project design included facilitating “better traffic flow to alleviate congestion, wildlife permeability to allow safe crossing options for the wildlife in the area, pedestrian use, and capacity improvement,” Stinchcomb says.
To accommodate wildlife, the project calls for adding four wildlife crossing sites: one beneath the new Snake River Bridge and three beneath the roadways near the intersection of WYO 22 and WYO 390.
The new Snake River Bridge will be longer than the bridge it is replacing so that a wildlife passageway can be added between the levee along the east bank of the waterway and the east end of the structure. To the west, a new overpass will be constructed along a short section of WYO 22, near the intersection with WYO 390, so that a wildlife passageway having a clear height of 15 ft can be created underneath.
The other two passageways — one to be on WYO 22 west of the intersection and one on WYO 390 north of the intersection — will consist of 12 ft by 20 ft concrete box structures constructed beneath the roadways.
“We hope to see many different types of animals using the crossings, from big game such as moose, deer, and elk to smaller game like fox, mountain lions, and raccoons,” Harsha says.
To dissuade animals from entering the roadways, double cattle guards will be used at vehicle approaches and 8 ft tall wildlife fencing will be constructed along the highways. Designed to direct animals to the wildlife crossings, the fencing will also include lower heights in certain locations to provide “jump outs” for animals that still manage to enter the roadway areas that have been fenced off.
In April, the Federal Highway Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation notified WYDOT that the project had won a 2022 Environmental Excellence Award in the category of Ecosystems, Habitat, and Wildlife. WYDOT will accept the award in mid-July.
Intersection improvements
As for the improvements to the intersection of WYO 22 and WYO 390, the project calls for implementing a so-called Florida T intersection. Designed to increase traffic flows and reduce congestion, the Florida T intersection will include a separate lane for eastbound traffic on WYO 22 to bypass the intersection. A median will divide this lane from the rest of the intersection.
“This particular intersection allows for free flow of eastbound traffic on WYO 22, which helps prevent traffic backup into the community of Wilson,” Harsha says. “This free flow also allows the other legs of traffic more signal time, eliminating queues of traffic more quickly.”
Final plans for the project were issued by WYDOT in late January, Harsha says. “The general plans were done by the WYDOT design team in collaboration with (the design firm HDR) and with input from our public involvement stakeholder group,” she notes. A 2014 Planning and Environmental Linkages Study for the project was prepared by Jacobs, which also hosted a virtual public meeting and coordinated public involvement needs regarding the project.
Construction on the project is expected to begin late this fall or in spring 2023 and last until summer or fall 2025. Construction phasing will entail building half of the new Snake River Bridge while traffic continues to use the existing structure. Once the new half is complete, traffic will be routed onto it, the existing span removed, and the other half of the new bridge constructed.Wyoming bridge venture features
Teton County is funding two of the wildlife crossings, which are estimated to cost approximately $3 million, while the rest of the project funding is provided by the federal government.Wyoming bridge venture features
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