Teton Pass to Require RV Certificate

TETON PASS — The Wyoming Department of Transportation plans to bar recreational vehicles, vehicles towing trailers and vehicles over 10,000 pounds from Teton Pass this fall unless the driver holds a certificate earned by reviewing safety material online and vouching for their own ability to drive the grade.

WYDOT is "in the early stages of developing the WY22 SAFE PASS program, a self-certification program to improve driver education and awareness of the challenges of mountain pass driving," according to a Sept. 10 release. The program covers "drivers operating recreational vehicles, towing trailers or vehicles who have a gross vehicle weight and/or a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds."

Applicants will enter basic information on a website, review required safety material and receive a certification letter that stays "active for one year." After that, drivers can reapply. The material will cover steep grades, brake fade protocols, weight and load limitations, and alternate routes for drivers who "do not want to take the risk."

"This program is not intended to replace other legal requirements to maintain control of your vehicle, it's a self-certification process that helps people look at this pass and acknowledge, 'yes, I am confident in my equipment and ability to navigate Teton Pass safely,'" WYDOT Director Darin Westby said in the release.

The release does not say how the requirement will be enforced, who will check whether a driver is certified, or what a driver faces for crossing the pass without a certificate.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol lists a 60,000-pound weight limit "in effect at all times" on WY-22 between Wilson and the Idaho state line, and no trailers of any kind on the pass between Nov. 15 and April 1. The release says those rules and the seasonal closures "remain strictly in effect."

The pass is Teton Valley's main route to Jackson for commuters and freight. A July 7 crash on the Wilson-side descent killed two people, one of them a Tetonia man, when a dump truck lost its brakes and ran past the highway's vehicle arrestor.

WYDOT crews are scheduled to begin installing upgraded signs on the pass the week of Sept. 21. Signs that warn "Truckers" about steep grades and low gear will be retrofitted to read "All Vehicles." WYDOT counts about 50 such signs between the state line and Wilson, and says it is still reviewing the signs and their placement.

What to watch: WYDOT hopes to roll out SAFE PASS by October. The application, the educational material and the policy have not been published.

Wyoming Will Require a Yearly Certificate to Take an RV or Trailer Over Teton Pass

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