The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) unanimously approved a Project Charter Document for the proposed Tribal Trails Connector Road (TTCR) at their July 3rd, 2018 meeting, disregarding the overwhelming public comment voiced against it even with it being released to the public only five days prior to their vote. This action is contrary to the BCC’s stated mission of upholding the Comprehensive Plan. The proposed TTCR would be a $7 million public expense that would likely damage the fundamental qualities of Jackson Hole that its residents and visitors value most.

Justification for this project is set forth in The Project Charter Document’s “Objectives”, which is a list of potential benefits. The problem is that none of these objectives has to date been substantiated by any data, analysis or other evidence, nor have any such benefits been evaluated relative to the project’s $7 million price tag and the risks it poses to Valley’s environment. We note that the Project Charter’s Risk Assessment indicates “The risk of failing to achieve the Project Objectives is moderate to high.”

There are many research studies conducted by leading traffic experts and consultants available on the impact of new or expanded roads in communities where demand far exceeds supply. Part of RGC’s mission is to be informed advocates on the subject of road policy, which qualifies us to review and comment on each of these claims, as follows:

1. “Safety – To improve emergency vehicle access and provide route redundancy in and around West Jackson and South Park.”

Emergency vehicle access is already available (and has been used) through Indian Springs Ranch (ISR). Furthermore, emergency vehicles can travel along the existing pathway. The number of instances in which this need arises in a calendar year is less than a handful.

The “redundancy” the proposed TTCR would provide is from US-26/89 at High School Road to WY-22 at Indian Springs Road. Today, three separate routes already exist from Highway 89 to South Park (High School Road and the north and south road intersections of South Park Loop Road). We question the need for yet another route given how seldom the 2.5 mile route along US-89 and WY-22 is totally blocked.

2. “Environmental Protection – To provide better connectivity and capacity in order to reduce vehicle miles travelled and vehicle emissions.”

We believe this assertion to be untrue.

The proposed TTCR would damage the delicate environment of the dedicated open space conservation easement that it would bisect, and result in wildlife habitat fragmentation. In addition, the traffic it would carry would generate additional emissions and noise pollution. We don’t see how this qualifies as “environmental protection”.

The proposed TTCR would not reduce miles traveled. In fact, it would induce demand, leading to increased traffic volumes overall, therefore increasing emissions, noise, and hazards to wildlife. In addition, the proposed TTCR route from High School Road to WY-22 is longer at 2.9 miles than staying on US-26/89 and WY-22 (2.5 miles).

3. “Cost Effectiveness – To reduce vehicle miles travelled and thus reduce travel costs for the community.”

This claim is unfounded.

The proposed TTCR would actually increase vehicle miles traveled, and therefore the community’s travel costs.

4. “Roadway Network Compatibility – To provide network redundancy to reduce local trips through the Y intersection. To minimize delays caused by maintenance operations and crashes on US-26/89 and WY-22. These events can isolate the Town from Teton Village, Wilson, and other West Bank areas.”

It is not clear why there is any need to reduce local trips through the Y intersection. The Y intersection’s recent upgrade increased its capacity significantly, eliminating it as a bottleneck, even at peak hours during the busiest weeks in this summer season. As noted several times in the past, the new road would only encourage more drivers and more frequent trips, with no impact on demand at the Y intersection.

The redundancy value in the event of accidents is noted above. The same value in the event of road works is also questionable, given that such road works are only relevant along the section of WY-22 from ISR to the Y intersection and from the Y intersection down to High School Road.

5. “Multimodal Function – To provide more direct routing for START transit services and Teton County School District buses between South Park and the West Bank.”

This claim is unsupported.

The proposed TTCR route in fact would be at least 0.4 miles longer and, assuming there would be a lower speed limit and traffic calming features, would take longer to travel on than using US-26/89 and WY-22.

We also note that no mention of the Traffic Study by Cambridge Systematics (currently underway at a cost of $150,000) is made in the Project Charter Document. The BCC previously promised residents to complete the Study, share its results with the public, and, if and only if those results justified the proposed TTCR from a traffic alleviation standpoint, proceed with its design and construction. The BCC have broken this promise. (As an aside, we can’t see how the Study, if conducted properly, would show any material traffic alleviation benefit, given the recent improvements at the Y intersection and the agreement by Cambridge Systematics to account for induced demand in its analysis).

Nevertheless, the BCC continue to ignore these facts and the majority opposition to the proposed TTCR, as they have for the past several years, to press ahead with this expensive enterprise which would compromise the valley’s pristine and unique environment. As such, the BCC are neither upholding the Comprehensive Plan’s mission nor serving the best interests of county residents.

RGC intends to continue efforts to inform the public of the facts about the high cost and dubious benefits of the proposed TTCR. We hope that our future leaders will make decisions based on fact and verifiable data while fully considering the real impacts that transportation infrastructure decisions have on Jackson Hole’s neighborhoods, ecosystem and economy.