WYDOT to allow some eastbound trailer traffic
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (KIFI/KIDK)-Although a permanent system is still in development, the Wyoming Department of Transportation will open eastbound trailer traffic on Wyoming Highway 22. The Teton Pass rules will allow trailer traffic weighing under 40,000 pound gross vehicle weight starting May 1.
The seasonal trailer traffic closure was extended due to the closure of the arrestor system for runaway trucks.
A temporary system, called a "sand barrel array" will be installed within the current catch-net arrestor, within the next two to three weeks. It will remain active until permanent changes can be implemented on the arrestor.
The "sand barrel" array uses impact barrels filled with varying amounts of weight or sand to stop an errant vehicle. The barrels disperse on impact, eventually slowing a vehicle.
"We understand the need to open the pass to trailers for commerce and the local economies, so we have elected to open the pass, under these new restrictions until we can get the permanent improvements constructed on the catch-net arrestor system," WYDOT District Engineer Keith Compton said.
Right now, there is only one escape ramp open on Teton Pass. It is located at milepost 8.2, about a mile above the current closed vehicle arrestor.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol will be increasing patrols in the area and the Weigh-in-motion system on Teton Pass will be updated to flag and notify authorities of vehicles exceeding the new 40,000 pound weight restriction.
