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Moulton Loop residents press Teton County to pave road; county staff say engineering nearly complete, paving requires separate funding
Summary
Residents of Moulton Loop urged the Teton County Board of Commissioners to pave Moulton Loop Road, citing safety, environmental and long-term cost savings. County public works staff said engineering design is nearly finished and estimate paving and culvert repairs at about $2 million; paving itself would require a separate budget approval.
Residents of Moulton Loop urged the Teton County Board of Commissioners to approve paving of Moulton Loop Road, saying the unpaved road poses safety, environmental and fiscal problems for homeowners.
"That said, Molton Loop Road deserves urgent attention," resident Amy Norwein told the board during the public-comment portion of the meeting. She said the neighborhood has seen rising traffic since homes were built on Walton Loop and that repeated applications of magnesium chloride create environmental and health concerns. Her husband, Chris Norwood, and Jim DeRico, an HOA board member, also spoke in favor of paving.
The petition DeRico presented asked homeowners whether they supported paving; he said, "Out of the 96 properties, we have probably, I'm gonna say 80 some owners, I believe it is. Only 2 people voted no on having the road paved." DeRico said culverts are collapsed in places, causing flooding and that current grading does not address recurring problems.
County public-works director Heather Overholser told the board that the county funded engineering design work in the budget but that the actual paving was not approved. "The board gave approval through the budget for the engineering design work to be done for the road, but not the paving," she said. Based on preliminary estimates, Overholser said, "it would cost about $2,000,000 to do that project, including the paving and the culvert work that's necessary to fix the crushed culverts that are collecting debris and causing flooding." She added the design work is close to completion and that an engineer's estimate will be available once the design is finalized.
Commissioners discussed possible alternatives previously raised in earlier years, including paving then transferring maintenance to an HOA or special district. Overholser said HOA members told county staff they were not interested in assuming maintenance. Commissioners also scheduled a site visit with neighbors to review conditions on Friday morning.
The residents requested paving in 2025 or the earliest possible date; county staff did not commit to a construction schedule and clarified that paving would require a separate budget appropriation and further board approval. Funding sources for construction were not specified during the meeting.
The exchange combined public comment, a residents' petition and a staff update on design and estimated cost; no formal action to allocate construction funding or to accept the road as a county asset was taken during the meeting. The board agreed to further field review and to share a cost estimate with neighborhood representatives before any vote.
