Highway Workers to Close Teton Pass to Trigger Avalanches

Wyoming Department of Transportation officials plan to close a highway so they can deliberately trigger avalanches on a mountain pass.

Avalanches closed Wyoming Highway 22 over Teton Pass on Thursday. One slide trapped a delivery truck but nobody was hurt.

The department plans to close the pass again at 3 a.m. Tuesday.

The route is heavily traveled by tourists and Idaho residents who work in Jackson Hole.

The pass is also a popular place to ski but no overnight parking will be allowed.

The department uses a variety of methods to release avalanches and prevent dangerous disruptions.

Workers fire artillery or blast compressed gas from tubes installed on mountainsides.