County set to lock in 5-year Gros Ventre Road snow removal deal

The Teton County Board of County Commissioners will vote Aug. 4 on a five-year snow removal and sanding contract for Gros Ventre Road, covering 3.75 miles from the Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest boundary at milepost 2.2 to the Atherton Campground intersection at milepost 5.95 agenda. The agreement would keep Ridgeline Excavation, Inc. on the route, with a first-year price of $100,832.36 for the 2026 to 2027 season, then annual adjustments tied to the Second Quarter Wyoming Cost of Living Index staff report and contract.

Road and Levee staff say they looked at bringing the work in-house, but the equipment, storage yard, sand pile, and experienced operators would be a steep lift, so they recommend contracting it out. The contract calls for a written notice to proceed around Aug. 15, and it includes $500 per-event liquidated damages for failing to meet the project manual standards, which is the kind of line item I like seeing when the county is paying for a road that has to be open when ranch trucks, hunters, and fall traffic are all using it staff report and contract.