Teton County commissioners agreed Oct. 20 to direct staff to draft a letter to the Wyoming Department of Transportation asking it to consider safety improvements on Highway 390 and related corridors, and to explore on-system grant funding to help complete the Coal Creek underpass and associated trail work.

The board’s discussion followed a presentation by Chris Colligan, Public Works project manager, who reviewed recent moose collisions and mitigation options. “All four of those structures are passing moose underneath them,” Colligan said of existing wildlife crossing structures, noting that moose continue to move through the area and collisions are happening at long‑standing hot spots rather than at the ends of new fencing.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they want immediate, practical steps to reduce collisions that threaten wildlife and driver safety while preserving longer-term planning for highway corridor changes. The board identified vegetation clearing, possible corridor lighting strategies, pedestrian and pathway improvements and making Highway 390 a higher priority in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) as items to include in the letter to YDOT.

Colligan told the board that wildlife collars and monitoring show moose movement patterns similar to pre‑mitigation periods and that some engineering constraints — steep grades, lack of public land continuity and winter snow depths — limit the feasibility of large crossing structures at certain locations. He said vegetation clearing could likely be implemented in about a year if there is community support.

Commissioners discussed several mitigation concepts raised by residents and stakeholders. Commissioner Carlman described a public suggestion to try “red‑spectrum” street lighting to improve driver visibility while minimizing wildlife disturbance; Colligan cautioned that the literature is inconclusive and that lighting can introduce visibility problems caused by uneven light/dark transitions. Commissioner Gottman asked about “high‑visibility always‑on wildlife beacons” and Colligan said active detection systems (radar, heat, seismic) have limited effectiveness over long stretches because they can generate excessive activations in mixed‑use corridors.

County Engineer Amy Ramage said Teton County staff have added Highway 390 planning to the county’s ITP action plan and recommended that the county include a request to YDOT to prioritize Highway 390 in the STIP updates. Heather Overholser, director of public works, noted YDOT has previously provided on‑system grant support for local underpass projects — she cited a prior $400,000 contribution for a Wilson School underpass — and said District staff (John Eddins) can make on‑system funding decisions.

Several commissioners asked that the letter focus on safety for people and wildlife, and that it request YDOT consider: (1) adding Highway 390 to the STIP for corridor planning and improvements; (2) short‑term vegetation clearing to improve sight lines; (3) pedestrian/pathway safety improvements; and (4) consideration of on‑system grant funds to help close the approximately $5 million funding gap for the Coal Creek underpass phase (amount described to the board as a delta needed to complete the phase).

Parks Superintendent Andy Erskine and Parks staff confirmed pathway signage and striping work are already included in capital project planning and said Parks will coordinate with Pathways and county attorneys on any changes that follow from corridor work.

Outcome and next steps: The board indicated consensus to have staff draft the letter and return it for review. No formal vote on the letter was recorded during the meeting; commissioners described their direction as a staff assignment to prepare the draft for future consideration.

Ending: Commissioners said they expect the draft letter to be provided in an upcoming staff report and noted that corridor planning for Highway 22 (NEPA and corridor work) will remain part of longer‑term discussions that inform 390 planning.