Sonora Pass/SR-108 Now Open For The Summer...Not Yet For Ebbetts
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/13/2017 02:32 PM
Tuolumne County – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has removed the winter snow, cleared the debris and made the necessary repairs to open State Route 108 (SR-108) over Sonora Pass at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. The diligent work of Caltrans crews enabled the opening of the pass for motorists who utilize this route. To see some of the challenges that come with opening the mountain routes, visit goo.gl/8vEp1o for a Caltrans News Flash that provides insight to the work.
El Portal Road in Yosemite National Park Remains Closed Highway 140 closed at Parkline at least through the weekend
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/13/2017 02:19 PM
Yosemite, CA...The El Portal Road and Arch Rock Entrance into Yosemite National Park remain closed due to a rockslide that occurred yesterday around Noon. Yosemite National Park staff are assessing the area and the road will remain closed at least through the weekend of June 17-18, 2017. After the assessment is complete, crews will begin to remove rock debris and repair the road to make it safe for visitors to travel on. There is no estimate for when the road will reopen.
Inquiring Minds Want To Know: How Does Caltrans Find The Road?
Posted by: thepinetree on 06/01/2017 12:33 PM
Kennedy Meadows, CA...From Caltrans.."A lot of people wonder how we find the road through all the snow. On SR-108, the Sonora Pass, Caltrans Supervisor Chris Baker informs me that his crew locates the road by electrifying a line that is embedded in the center of the highway. He then uses a locator to detect it and as you see in the photo, puts environmentally friendly marks for the dozer to follow. The dozer then pushes snow down to the blower. And then the blower operators can follow center line from there and widen out the highway. Simple, huh?"
Caltrans Continues To Plow, Blow & Dig Their Way To The Tops Of Mountain Passes
Posted by: thepinetree on 05/16/2017 02:19 PM
Bear Valley, CA...Caltrans' District 10 maintenance crews continue to dig out following one of California's wildest winters in decades, and that includes moving snow, debris and other material from Ebbetts Pass/State Route 4 (SR-4) in Alpine County. Here is a video from Monday's work - snow is packed tight against the road.
Caltrans Crews Pushing East To Clear Snow Covered Sierra Passes
Posted by: thepinetree on 05/10/2017 08:53 AM
Arnold, CA...Caltrans District 10 gave the following update yesterday on their progress. "The gate at the Mt. Reba turnoff remains closed, and that is as far as folks can go by vehicle. After removing snow on SR-4 near Lake Alpine, a Caltrans' maintenance crew saw that a washout had occurred, the result of a culvert being plugged this past winter. The culvert was cleared, the structural repairs have been made and the road is scheduled to be patched this week. Once repairs are complete, the goal is to continue moving east and open SR-4 to the east end of Lake Alpine by the end of this week. Of course, weather, resources, road conditions and other factors always play a role in the progress of clearing mountain passes.
USFS Says Mokelumne River Canyon Access Roads Closed Indefinitely Due To Storm Damage
Posted by: thepinetree on 04/21/2017 09:45 PM
Pioneer, CA...All 3 roads that provide access to the Mokelumne River Canyon are closed indefinitely due to storm damage: Salt Springs Road, Ellis Road, and Panther Creek Road. There is storm damage on all 18 national forests in California with a total of 557 damage sites on forest service roads regionally as of April 5, 2017. There are multiple damage sites on many roads, and the damage is significant in some places. Damage assessment is still in progress and will not be fully known until the snow melts. The photos here are from Panther Creek Road in the Amador Ranger District.
Yosemite National Park Continues to Repair Big Oak Flat Road
Posted by: thepinetree on 04/19/2017 11:39 AM
Yosemite, CA...Yosemite National Park reports that progress continues to be made on repairs to the Big Oak Flat road. In early April, road crews dug down 65 feet to the bottom of an underground spring that caused soils to erode. The slope has been stabilized and soil and rock have been brought into the park to rebuild the roadbed. As of today, the roadbed has been built up 26 feet, which is about half way to the surface of the road. The park pledges to announce an opening date for the Big Oak Flat road as soon as it becomes available.
Hwy 26 Now Open Through West Point Area! Repair Costs Estimated At $3.5 Million
Posted by: thepinetree on 04/19/2017 04:45 PM
West Point, CA...The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will open eastbound and westbound State Route 26 (SR-26) from Higdon Road to the North Fork Mokelumne River Bridge, just west of West Point, following a 69-day full closure due to storm related damage. State Route 26 opened on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. Final striping will be installed under a moving closure on Friday, April 21, 2017. For nearly three months, motorists in Amador and Calaveras Counties patiently endured up to 60-minute detours as Caltrans performed a variety of repairs, addressing a roadside slip-out, rockslide and culvert replacements.
Caltrans Begins Spring Clearing Of 108: Kennedy Meadows Road To Be Open In Time For Trout Season
Posted by: News_Desk on 04/07/2017 05:08 PM
Stockton, CA...The California Department of Transportation has launched it's spring clearing of State Route 108 over Sonora Pass and State Route 89 over Monitor Pass, as maintenance crews will be kept busy removing snow, clearing debris, inspecting the roadway, and making the appropriate improvements to ensure the public's safety.
Delays On SR 108 From East Hwy 49 To Old Wards Ferry Road
Posted by: News_Desk on 04/07/2017 04:44 PM
Tuolumne County, CA...The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will perform one-way traffic control on eastbound and westbound State Route 108 (SR-108) from East SR-49 to Old Wards Ferry Road for guardrail work.