Teton County to oversee $300,000 Teton Pass Corridor plan
JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI)-Teton County, Wyoming has received $300,000 to conduct a Teton Pass corridor planning effort.
The grant will review transportation, outdoor recreation access, and wildlife safety.
"Teton Pass is a critical transportation corridor. that also traverses extraordinary public lands access and wildlife habitat,” said Teton County Engineer Amy Ramage. “This grant will allow us to develop a cohesive plan to address unprecedented levels of recreation and commuter use, while also looking at ways to reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions and improve pedestrian safety.”
Recreational use has risen sharply in the corridor since the 1990's. There are multiple trailhead facilities linking to high-use trails during the summer and backcountry ski terrain during the winter. Along with growth in commuter and commerce traffic, the demand has increased parking congestion, conflict, and safety concerns.
The Bridger-Teton National Forest and Caribou-Targhee Natonal Forest manage most of the public land adjacent to Highway 22. The forests will work with Teton County, Wyoming, Wyoming Department of Transportation, and advocacy groups, including Wyoming Pathways and the Teton Backcountry Alliance, will work to balance the demands.
"The use of this area is not going to decrease so we need to develop a solid corridor management plan that looks at the issues holistically from Idaho to Wyoming,” said Jay Pence, Teton Basin District Ranger for the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
Teton County applied for the grant because of concerns for the escalating conflict between pedestrian safety and the highway corridor. An early plan proposes designs to improve pedestrian safety, define and separate recreation parking and improved signage.
The Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) was established to improve transportation facilities that provide access to federal lands, with an emphasis on high-use recreation sites and economic generators.
The Teton Pass corridor hosts up to 200,000 visitors per year, 3 major trailheads, and thousasnds of acres of public land.
