Last spring, Teton County's schedule for the downtown Wilson pathways said "late fall 2026." The project page still says it. The contract set substantial completion for November 20, 2026, and final completion for December 23, 2026. Those dates are now June 16, 2027, and July 20, 2027. Both moved by about seven months, and the contract price did not change.
The cause was a delay of roughly one month at the start. In Jackson Hole, where the building season is short, that month cost the project its entire first season.
One Month at the Start, One Season at the End
The county planned around the calendar from the beginning. The May 26, 2026 staff report that brought the Evans Construction contract to commissioners was explicit about the reasoning. Because of the federal BUILD grant deadlines and "the typical short construction season of Jackson Hole," staff wrote, starting in June would let the work finish in one season. They called that the most cost-effective approach. The same report says the contractor would not get a notice to proceed until WYDOT's Local Government Coordination office approved the bid. Federal Transportation Alternatives Program funding required that review.
WYDOT issued that notice on July 14, 2026, after reviewing subcontractor agreements. County staff later concluded the date was too late to realistically finish this fall, according to a Teton Scroll summary of the staff report. Buckrail told WY-22 commuters on July 17 that work would begin the following Monday. That put the start in the third week of July, about a month behind the June plan.
The county's answer is a schedule-only contract change, Change Order No. 2. Commissioners were set to consider it in October, and the Teton Scroll reports they approved it on October 20.
Milestone | Original contract, May 2026 | Change Order No. 2, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Substantial completion | November 20, 2026 | June 16, 2027 |
Final completion | December 23, 2026 | July 20, 2027 |
Contract amount | $4,715,324 | No change |
The contract price holds, but the total cost will likely rise. Staff flagged that carrying the work into spring 2027 will probably add construction administration and engineering costs, which would be proposed in the fiscal 2028 budget. A separate amendment extended the county's Transportation Alternatives Program grant agreement with WYDOT through the end of 2027, with no change to funding or match requirements.
The Paving Crew That Skipped Downtown
Anyone who drove WY-22 in September watched a second project come and go. WYDOT and Avail Valley Construction finished paving sections of the highway in Teton County, ground down rough spots overnight, and scheduled striping for the week of September 21. That district-wide patching project had an October 31, 2026 completion date. WYDOT's September 11 release said one stretch would get no work:
"No work for paving or striping will take place as part of this project in the downtown Wilson area as the County's pathway project is active and will be through next summer."
The two projects were supposed to finish together. The original Evans contract offered a $75,000 bonus for reaching substantial completion by October 31, 2026. The county's May 26 staff report said the bonus was meant "to incentivize the completion and opening of the pathway to coincide with the WYDOT WY22 Mill and Overlay project." The overlay finished on its schedule. The pathway is now on the 2027 calendar, and downtown Wilson sat out the September repaving because of it.
What Returns to the Corridor in Spring
The project runs mostly along the north and south sides of WY-22 through downtown Wilson. The scope covers:
- About 2,100 linear feet of multi-use pathway on both sides of the highway
- Shoulder widening on WY-22
- Stormwater collection and treatment
- A rectangular rapid flashing beacon
- Retaining walls, signage and striping
The county's project page also lists business access consolidation as part of the work and describes the goal as linking the regional pathways that already reach Wilson along WY-22. In June, retired transportation engineer and longtime Fish Creek Road resident Jared Smith wrote a guest column in the Jackson Hole News&Guide. He described the stormwater work as cleaner runoff to Edmiston Springs and Fish Creek. He also said the project brings a safer pedestrian crossing at Ida Lane and expressed hope for another one at West Street. His column traces the safety concerns about the highway through Wilson back to the early 1970s, after the new pass highway opened. Residents revived the effort in 2017.
Some things are no longer in the plan. Bids came in on May 13, 2026, and only one was responsive: Evans Construction at $5,000,625, which was $897,499 over the engineer's estimate of $4,103,126. Change Order No. 1 cut $285,301. Part of that came from correcting retaining wall quantities and dropping a pit run subbase the geotechnical report showed was unnecessary. The rest came from removing irrigation conduit that would have allowed street trees later. The county weighed public comments in favor of trees against cost, WYDOT's limits on landscaping in the right-of-way, and community concern that roadside plantings could draw wildlife into the highway corridor.
The work rules that applied this summer will likely come back next season. The July announcement set work for weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It said access to homes and businesses would "generally be maintained, but may be adjusted as work progresses," and that downtown Wilson businesses would stay accessible throughout construction. The Teton BUILD grant site offers weekly email updates on progress, traffic and schedule changes.
The Lighting Question Next Season Inherits
Just before construction began, the county raised the question of whether downtown Wilson should have street lights, and the extra season gives that question more time.
The Jackson Hole News&Guide reported on June 16 that commissioners told staff to look into lighting but did not want the project delayed while they did. Pathways Coordinator Brian Schilling said officials had considered lights earlier and decided against them over community character concerns. "There are real safety benefits to having lighting," Schilling told commissioners, and he said any lights would have to be dark-sky compliant and aimed downward. Commissioners asked him for data on how street lights affect safety and for a look at solar lights, which would avoid the delay of trenching new utility lines.
Lighting is one of the few points where both sides of the long pathway debate have found some agreement. The same News&Guide report says supporters and the opposing group that organized in late May both expressed openness to dark-sky lighting. The citizen group that shaped the original design had ruled lighting out over wildlife, night skies and Wilson's character, according to Smith's column.
WYDOT plans a follow-up speed study in summer 2028 to compare traffic speeds and safety after construction with the readings taken before it. With completion now set for mid-2027, the first full summer of driving and walking on the finished corridor will be the one WYDOT measures.
Changes to WY-22 through Wilson shape daily access for every property on the West Bank, and they become part of the record a corridor carries into its next sale. If you own near downtown Wilson and want to understand how the 2027 schedule and the finished design might affect your property, Tom Evans Real Estate is available to talk it through. Request a Confidential Consultation.
