Construction update on Teton Canyon Roads and Trailheads

DRIGGS, Idaho (KIFI) - UPDATE: Mobilization of heavy equipment has begun for the Teton Canyon Road work.

Contractors will be setting up traffic control devices on Friday. Work on the road will begin Monday Sept. 26. You can expect extended road closures up to 3 hours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Thursday and Friday the road will be open; however, the upper trailhead will be closed while initial improvement work is performed.

Visitors should plan on parking at the lower trailhead to avoid work areas for safety.

For more information, contact the Teton Basin Ranger District at 208-354-2312.

ORIGINAL: A contract has been awarded to perform heavy road maintenance work on Teton Canyon Road and Trailheads.

The work will include blading & re-shaping the road and trailheads, replacing roadway culverts, and re-surfacing the road and trailheads with 4 inches of new surface aggregate.

Scheduling details are still being discussed; however, the contractor has proposed Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, as the initial start date for the project. The work is planned to be completed this year but could extend into next spring.

“Teton Canyon is one of our most popular roads with access to our most highly used recreation sites,” said Joe McFarlane, Recreation Manager on Teton Basin Ranger District.

The road needs heavy maintenance due to the increasing number of forest visitors accessing Teton Canyon. The planned upgrades will enhance the longevity of the road surface resulting in a road that is easier to maintain.

To preserve safety for the workers and work sites during construction, the public can expect periods of road closure for up to 3 hours twice a day with intermittent openings each day. Further specifics pertaining to the closures will be announced in a forthcoming notice with ongoing updates as needed for the duration of the project.

This project was made possible from funding provided by Federal Lands Transportation Program (FLTP); a program established to improve transportation infrastructure owned and maintained by federal land management agencies.