Disaster Gallery
Glory Bowl Bridge Disaster
In the late 1960s the Wyoming Department
of Transportation (WYDOT) was in the process
of rerouting the existing highway over Teton
Pass. A suspension bridge had been partially
constructed during 1969. In January of 1970,
disaster struck when an avalanche roared
down Glory Bowl, streamrolling through the
bridge before it lapped up and over Crater
Lake.Wires supporting the bridge structure
were snapped and girders bent beyond repair.
After the Crater Lake slide, the WYDOT abandoned
plans for the bridge and constructed a road
through the same area. Today WYDOT uses the
Gaz-Ex system to control avalanches in the Teton Pass area.
Above photos courtesy of Wyoming Department
of Transportation.
|
