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In the decades-old debate over a busy Jackson-to-Wilson roadway, those opposed to expansion appear to be losing ground, but still rallying support.
A September field trip organized by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance positioned a centuries-old carbon sink called a fen as a main character in their argument. It provides habitat for bears, moose, and birds.
“If you do walk in any part of a fen, the ground is bouncy,” said Jenny Fitzgerald, who leads the organization. “It feels like you’re walking on a water bed.”
Conservationists aim to elevate the fen in community consciousness in an effort to avoid expansion and the potential Tribal Trail Connector. That’s the final half-mile of road planned since the 1980s to cut south, linking Tribal Trail to Highway 22.
The state says two or even three more lanes would dodge the wetlands.
WYDOT estimates up to 30,000 vehicles travel Highway 22 daily at the summer peak, a number expected to rise.
“We have an issue out there where traffic gets gummed up and has for several years on a daily basis,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Bob Hammond.
The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and county officials are asking for a more in-depth environmental impact statement, saying an expansion could threaten the nearby fen. Both also want WYDOT to study no-expansion alternatives, such as replacing traffic lights with roundabouts, lowering speed limits, or improving existing intersections.
Despite advocate and county arguments, the state transportation agency also says a more in-depth environmental study isn’t necessary. It will do an environmental review according to federal guidelines.
In a July letter, Teton County commissioners urged the WYDOT to consider alternatives to widening the corridor.
In the traffic tug-of-war, though, Teton County has given up its say. At least one board member regrets that.
Commissioner Luther Propst, who was the lone commissioner vote opposed to giving the state full control of planning in 2023, said the process so far has left too little room for public input.
“It’s not our decision,” Propst said. “To know the cost to the county, we need to make sure that there’s meaningful public participation and not only the illusion of public participation.”
Hammond said the agency has held multiple public meetings, maintains a website and is preparing to launch an environmental review based on years of collected data. He said that expansion is the best solution to worsening congestion.
“We’re being as transparent as possible,” Hammond said. “Hopefully people can decide for themselves what they think of what we’re doing.”
Construction is still likely years away, 2030 at the earliest, according to Hammond.
