Chief Joseph Slide Damages Highway
Written by Andrew-Rossi on May 12, 2017
A slow landslide on the Chief Joseph Scenic highway has damaged the road and will eventually impact traffic.
The moisture-related slide near Dead Indian Creek continues to move, and the northbound lane of the highway is moving downhill. But WYDOT District Engineer Pete Hallsten of Basin says that the road is still wide enough for two-way traffic, as the Cody maintenance crew has filled in the ditch on the uphill side of the highway and surfaced it with mill tailings.
However, if the hillside continues to slide this spring and summer, Hallsten said WYDOT is planning for the possibility of not having enough room for one-way traffic on the highway.
He adds that the roadway to Cooke City, Montana is now open for the season, so people who live in this valley have another way out of the Sunlight and Crandall areas if the entire width of the highway is lost.
