Dan Smith, Transportation Engineer

The mobility and transportation impacts of the proposed expansion of Grand Targhee Resort are of critical concern and need to be objectively assessed in the Forest Service's analysis. These impacts will be felt most acutely on Ski Hill Road as more people travel to Targhee, but there will also be significant transportation impacts to the regional transportation network that must be considered.

Ski Hill Road is a two-lane road that already experiences significant congestion. If skier capacity is doubled, this problem will only get worse. Access for emergency vehicles will be extremely challenging during peak travel periods, and a typical ski day will involve time spent in gridlock. Additionally, the significant increase in base area services will create many (predominately low wage) jobs and dramatically increase the number of guests from outside of Teton County. These new residents and visitors will add a large volume of trips to an already near-capacity regional transportation network. This will further exacerbate the increase in traffic problems and extend far beyond Grand Targhee into communities downslope from the resort and over the pass into Jackson Hole.

Grand Targhee Resort 2020-2021 Interim* Traffic Monitoring Report