Moose-Wilson Road paving and infrastructure improvements to begin next year

MOOSE, Wyo. (KIFI) — The National Park Service will begin construction activities addressing infrastructure needs in the southern half of the Moose-Wilson Corridor beginning in the spring of 2022.

Public access will be limited to weekends during next summer’s construction activities.

All work will preserve the rustic character of the corridor and provide high-quality visitor opportunities including wildlife and scenery viewing. Work will be completed in phases, with the first phase implemented in 2022-2023, the second phase in 2024-2025 and additional phases designed and implemented in the future.

As part of a multi-year planning process, the park thoughtfully evaluated options to provide the greatest amount of visitor access with the lowest additional cost and construction duration, while providing for the safety of visitors and crews during construction activities.

During 2022, the southern half of the Moose-Wilson Corridor, the area between the Granite Entrance Station and the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, will only be open to public access on weekends, 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday, from Memorial Day to Labor Day and closed entirely in the spring and fall.

The northern section of the corridor will remain accessible. Access to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve will be available from the north, from Moose, Wyoming, during most construction in 2022.

Phase 1 work will include paving the 1.4-mile rough unpaved section of the road, improvements with the Granite Entrance Station including an additional entrance lane to ease backups, improvements at the Granite Trailhead and Poker Flats horse trailer parking area, Kaufmann Creek bridge construction, improved pullouts for vehicles along the road, and new visitor information signage.

The Granite Trailhead will be closed in 2022 and 2023, with winter access from December 2022 to March 2023. Improvements to the Granite Trailhead include two vault toilets, bench seating, additional parking, improved traffic flow and decreased roadside parking. Access to the Granite Canyon trail system, including the Valley Trail, will be available from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The park is working in partnership with the Resort and Teton Village Association to provide information about accessing the park during construction activities.

The majority of the funding for phase 1 work is provided by the Great American Outdoors Act, also known as the Legacy Restoration Act. The cost of implementing phase 1 is approximately $13 million.

Phase 2 is anticipated to begin in 2024 and includes badly needed repair to the Death Canyon access road, improvements of the Death Canyon trailhead parking, repair of the Death Canyon Junction trailhead parking area, re-alignment of the north section of the roadway, improvements to the new intersection and final landscape/reclamation efforts of the former roadway.

The park considered other construction projects such as the Snake River Bridge replacement on Wyoming Highway 22 and Jackson Hole Airport closure when planning work in the Moose-Wilson Corridor. The park will continue coordination with Wyoming Department of Transportation and Teton County to minimize overall traveler impacts.

A Record of Decision for the Moose-Wilson Corridor Comprehensive Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement was approved in 2016.

The Federal Highways Administration is overseeing the project in partnership with the National Park Service.