The CatchNet System: A Critical Safeguard on Wyoming’s Steepest Corridor

A steep 10% grade. A history of runaway truck crashes. And a community at risk.
Wyoming DOT turned to CatchNet, installing a mechanical truck arrestor system that has since helped prevent fatalities, reduce serious injuries, and give drivers a second chance when brakes fail.

Location

WY-22, Teton Pass
Wilson, Wyoming

Grade

10% descent over 5.2 miles

System

CatchNet mechanical truck arrestor
8-net configuration between concrete walls

Performance

Stops up to 90,000 lb vehicles
Within 200 ft
Under 1 G deceleration

Installed

2017 (operational, in-service system)

Teton Pass Leaves No Margin for Hesitation.

The westbound descent of WY-22 drops at a sustained 10% grade over more than five miles, forcing heavy vehicles into prolonged braking with little margin for error. When braking systems overheat or fail, drivers are suddenly managing thousands of pounds of uncontrolled momentum on a narrow, winding corridor.

The consequences are not theoretical.

Before the installation of the CatchNet system, this descent experienced a documented pattern of runaway truck crashes, rollovers, injuries, and fatalities near the community of Wilson. Motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and residents were all exposed to the risk created when a single vehicle lost control.

This was not a question of if another serious incident would occur.
It was a question of when.

Why Traditional Solutions Weren’t Enough

Steep grades and runaway truck risk are not new problems. The challenge on Teton Pass was finding a solution that worked under real-world conditions, not just in theory.

Where traditional approaches fail

  • Signs rely on perfect driver response in a brake-failure scenario.
  • Escape ramps need space, terrain, and commitment across traffic.
  • Education helps, but it can’t prevent mechanical failure.

WYDOT needed a solution that…

  • Worked even when drivers could not react perfectly
  • Functioned within tight roadway constraints
  • Delivered predictable, repeatable stopping performance
  • Could be engineered, tested, and verified

That requirement led to the evaluation and eventual deployment of a mechanical truck arrestor system on the descent into Wilson.

The Teton Pass Story

2008–2015: Risk Becomes Pattern
Concerns about runaway truck risk on the westbound descent of WY-22 began surfacing as early as 2008, driven by a growing history of brake-failure incidents near the community of Wilson. The combination of steep grades, heavy truck traffic, and limited roadway geometry created a persistent safety challenge.

The Problem: Traditional Measures Fell Short
Rather than relying on a single traditional countermeasure, WYDOT recognized that signage, education, and escape ramps alone could not reliably address mechanical brake failure in a constrained corridor.

Engineering Evaluation Begins
WYDOT began evaluating alternatives that could deliver measurable, engineered stopping performance within real-world roadway constraints, not just theoretical compliance.

Solution Deployed: Mechanical Truck Arrestor System Installed
That process ultimately led to the installation of a mechanical truck arrestor system on the downhill approach into Wilson. The system was designed as a last-resort safeguard, engaging only when braking capability had already been lost.

Design Objective
The goal was simple but critical: reduce the severity of runaway truck incidents and protect the traveling public without relying on perfect driver reaction in a worst-case moment.

Today: A Permanent Safety Feature
Since installation, the system has become a permanent safety feature on one of Wyoming’s most demanding mountain corridors.

How the CatchNet System Works

The CatchNet system on Teton Pass is engineered to perform one task with precision: safely arrest a runaway heavy vehicle when all other options have failed.

The installation consists of eight high-strength nets stretched between concrete wall structures, positioned along the roadside in the system’s capture zone. Each net is supported by energy-absorbing arrestor canisters mounted to the walls.

When a vehicle engages the system:

  1. The vehicle contacts the net
    The net captures the front of the vehicle and begins distributing load across the system.
  2. Arrestors deploy controlled resistance
    Inside each canister, steel tape is pulled through an engineered friction mechanism, converting kinetic energy into controlled deceleration.
  3. The vehicle is brought to a stable stop
    Energy is absorbed progressively across multiple nets, reducing the likelihood of rollover and keeping the vehicle upright.

Performance Capability

  • Controlled deceleration: <1G
  • Each arrestor can absorb up to 660 kip-ft of kinetic energy
  • System designed to stop vehicles up to 90,000 lbs
  • Typical arrest distance: ~200 feet

System Design Highlights

  • 8-net configuration between reinforced concrete walls
  • Energy absorption via friction-based arrestor canisters
  • Modular components allow targeted repair after impact
  • Engineered for repeatable, predictable performance
  • Designed as a last-resort safeguard, not a primary braking system

Lesson Learned

Real-world performance matters more than theory.

Field Event (December 2018)
In December 2018, a 33,000+ lb truck traveling approximately 55–60 mph engaged the CatchNet system. The vehicle was successfully captured. Post-incident analysis showed that as drivers enter the system, many instinctively steer toward the concrete barrier to scrub speed. While understandable in an emergency, this contact could damage arrestor components mounted along the wall and reduce optimal system performance.

Engineering Improvements Implemented

  • Concrete “bump-out” protection was added to shield arrestor components
  • The bump-outs guide vehicles toward the center of the capture zone where deceleration is most effective
  • The Teton Pass installation was retrofitted with the improved configuration

Since these improvements were implemented, no additional performance issues have been observed, reinforcing the system’s reliability under real-world operating conditions.

Engineering Principle

This refinement reflects a core principle of safety engineering: observe real-world behavior, strengthen the design, and improve system performance for future events.

Demonstration and Validation Testing

To validate performance under controlled but realistic conditions, the CatchNet system was subjected to a full-scale live driver demonstration using a fully loaded dump truck.

During the test, a 65,000 lb vehicle traveled approximately 60 mph into the system and was safely brought to a controlled stop in under 200 feet. The engagement utilized only four of the eight installed nets, demonstrating both the system’s stopping capability and its built-in performance margin.

Observers noted that the vehicle remained upright and stable throughout the engagement, with no rollover tendency and no loss of control during capture.

This type of real-world validation provides agencies with a level of confidence that cannot be achieved through modeling or laboratory testing alone. It demonstrates predictable, repeatable stopping performance under realistic mass and speed conditions.

Results & Safety Impact

The impact of the Teton Pass system is best understood through outcomes, not theory.

In the eight years prior to installation (through 2017), the 3.5-mile downhill segment into Wilson recorded:

  • 11 large-vehicle crashes
  • 9 overturns
  • 2 fatalities
  • 7 injuries

Following installation, 17 large-vehicle incidents have occurred within the corridor. The outcomes show a clear pattern:

When the escape system was used
(11 incidents)

  • 0 overturns
  • 1 injury (minor)

When the escape system was not used
(6 incidents)

  • 2 overturns
  • 4 injuries

Additional context:

  • In 2 cases, vehicles passed the escape area entirely
  • 4 additional crashes involved smaller vehicles not applicable to system use

The pattern is consistent:
When drivers utilize the system, outcomes are significantly safer.

The CatchNet installation does not eliminate crashes, but it demonstrably reduces severity, prevents rollovers, and protects life when engaged as intended.

Real-World Perspective

Data tells the story of performance.
Firsthand experience tells the story of impact.

One driver who successfully engaged the system described the moment plainly:

“It saved my life. I had the brake pedal to the floor and nothing was happening. I couldn’t cross traffic to reach the escape ramp. The net was the only option I had.”

Law enforcement officials working the corridor have echoed the importance of the system as a safety backstop for both drivers and the surrounding community.

“THIS SYSTEM HAS PREVENTED SERIOUS INJURY AND DEATH ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND HAS BECOME A CRITICAL SAFETY FEATURE ON THIS CORRIDOR.”
— Wyoming State Patrol

These are not abstract benefits. They are real outcomes, tied to real people, on a real stretch of road where consequences are measured in lives.

Maintenance, Repair, and Operational Reality

Effectiveness in the field must be matched by practicality in operation.

Since installation, impacts involving the CatchNet system on Teton Pass have demonstrated that post-event recovery is both manageable and predictable. Most engagements have required repair to four nets or fewer, allowing the system to return to service without full reconstruction.

This modular repair approach is intentional by design. Components are engineered to absorb energy and, when necessary, sacrifice locally so that damage is limited to specific elements rather than the entire system.

For WYDOT, this has translated into a safety asset that is not only effective under extreme conditions, but also operationally sustainable within standard maintenance programs.

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Explore Vehicle Arresting Systems

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Talk to Engineering
How does CatchNET differ from a gravel escape ramp

Is the system MASH / AASHTO compliant?

Where is CatchNET installed in Wyoming?

How quickly can the system be reset after an activation?

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