CRH is no stranger to challenges, but constructing a temporary bypass road within two weeks put everyone to the test!
In an extraordinary example of collaboration, CRH companies Evans Construction, HK Contractors and Oldcastle Infrastructure worked together to build a temporary detour around Teton Pass, when a catastrophic landslide wiped out a section of the highway connecting Idaho’s Teton Valley with Jackson, Wyoming in June 2024.
A reconstruction of the severely damaged highway would take many months to complete. With 15,000 local commuters and tourists relying on the highway every day, CRH constructed a temporary bypass, to restore normal travel times and ensure nearby communities remained connected to Jackson.
Acting swiftly and decisively, CRH mobilized heavy equipment to the site within hours of being notified and leveraged its broad resources to source crews from Southeast Idaho and Wyoming.
The bypass was approximately 900 feet long and 36 feet wide and required 30,000 cubic yards of embankment fill topped with sub-grade, base and an asphalt-paved surface for the two bidirectional 12-foot temporary lanes.
As part of its construction, the crew installed 19 box culverts – a vital concrete infrastructure to manage water flow under the road, channeling water away from the affected area and enabling the removal of mud and debris in the event of future slides.
In order to open for the 4th of July holiday weekend, crews worked two 12-hour shifts around the clock, seven days a week for 15 days, with six operators supporting the day shift and six operators supporting the night shift.
The exceptional teamwork applied to respond to this emergency is a prime example of CRH’s commitment to the communities where we live and work.
