Yosemite Hwy Reopens

[SandPounder]

 

Yosemite National Park (CA)

Highway 140 Reopens

 

In a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past Friday morning, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) opened the Ferguson rock slide bypass on Highway 140 between the town of Mariposa and Yosemite National Park. The road has been closed since late April due to a massive slide that covered Highway 140 in the Merced River canyon. This is a major commuting route for NPS employees, concession employees and park visitors, and the closure had necessitated commutes of up to two-and-a-half hours each way for some staff. The bypass, which was completed about two weeks ahead of schedule, utilizes two temporary bridges and the existing historical roadway to go around the slide. The road is currently open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for vehicles less than 28 feet long. Once an automated system for monitoring the slide is operational, the road will be open 24 hours a day. Caltrans will now be concentrating on a permanent solution for repairing the road. The slide still remains active. Media coverage of the closure and of the event was high. [submitted by Scott Gediman, Public Affairs Officer]