Debris flow closes canyon again

HOBACK CANYON - The Wyoming Department of Transportation recently cleared a mud debris flow that stretched over both lanes of travel on US 189/191 near milepost 151 yesterday in the Hoback Canyon.

Since then, some large chunks of debris have come down off the hillside and have clogged the ditches that were dug out yesterday to catch the water flow. Debris and mud has now flooded over the ditches and onto the road. Crews closed the road at 2:23 a.m. this morning to begin clearing the mud and debris. WYDOT is hoping to clear a single lane of travel and guide traffic through with a pilot car. Once a lane is cleared, crews will open the road.   

WYDOT maintenance workers will continue to clean out the ditch alongside the road that was catching the flowing water for now, but engineers and maintenance technicians will be looking into other possible solutions today.

“At this point, we need to find the source and address it,” District Engineer Keith Compton said.

The estimated time of opening is unknown at this point.  To sign up for text alerts on road closures and openings, as well as advisories, please visit http://www.wyoroad.info.

WYDOT maintenance crews will continue to inspect the canyon for any other potential movements.

WYDOT would like to remind drivers to slow down when driving in construction zones and be alert and cautious of roadside workers.