Transportation
From Sustaining Jackson Hole Wiki
As Jackson Hole’s population and economy grow, traffic data have shown a corresponding increase in the number of cars on the valley’s roads. (See table 7-1.) State engineers, in turn, have proposed wider roads with more lanes to address traffic growth, sparking numerous public debates about how to accommodate more people and still preserve Jackson Hole’s rural character. In addition, wildlife advocates are worried that more and bigger roads will sever wildlife migration routes.
Growth in Jackson Hole isn’t the only factor influencing increasing traffic volume. Growing numbers of people commute to jobs in Jackson Hole from Star Valley to the south and Teton Valley, Idaho, to the west because real estate is less expensive in those areas. This has significantly increased traffic on Highway 22 across Teton Pass and Highway 89 in the Snake River Canyon. The recently-completed road-widening and reconstruction of the highway through the Snake River Canyon are expected to accelerate this shift in population to northern Lincoln County.
In an effort to cut down on vehicle traffic – and in an attempt to address residents’ complaints about the growing amount of four-lane highways – local government officials have significantly expanded public bus service in the last 12 years. Elected officials have also added bus service to northern Lincoln County, and are considering a route to Teton County, Idaho. At the same time as the town and county work on mass transit alternatives, Grand Teton National Park has just released its own transportation plan, featuring a number of alternative scenarios for the future. Each scenario encourages the use of alternatives to the current reliance on passenger cars for movement into and within the park.
Population growth and tourism have also brought private entrepreneurs into the ground transportation business. Locally-owned Alltrans operates a number of shuttle buses around the valley, serving both the public and private businesses. The company also operates a daily shuttle to and from Idaho Falls and Salt Lake City, as well as shuttles for skiers to Grand Targhee resort during the winter and shuttles for boaters in the Snake River Canyon during the summer. Taxi and car rental companies have also grown in number in the last decade.
Finally, air service has been a major subject of public debate. Commercial air traffic has grown and shrunk as service and fares to Jackson Hole have changed over the last decade. (See table 7-2.) In the past few years, an organization called Jackson Hole Air Improvement Resources (JH AIR) has led a concerted effort to increase the number of airlines serving Jackson Hole, the amount of jet service, and the variety of routes. Record traffic numbers in 2003 and 2004 suggest this effort is paying off. However, the financial problems facing most major U.S. carriers adds a level of uncertainty to future air service to the valley.
Efforts to increase air service to the valley are usually framed in the context of bringing more tourists to the area, particularly in the winter. However, an increasing proportion of seats seem to be occupied by locals traveling for business or other reasons.
Use of the Jackson Hole Airport by private airplanes – particularly jets – has increased in the last decade. However, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how much private air traffic has grown because the airport changed its system of tracking private flights in 2000 when a control tower was built.
Sources: Wyoming Department of Transportation, Jackson Hole Airport
