The main roads to Yosemite National Park are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday in time for the long holiday weekend, Cartlan officials announced.
After the rain, the two-mile closure of Highway 140 caused rocks to slip onto the road, but will resume at about 4pm under one-way traffic control, officials said. The warm, unseasonable weather has given Caltrans and private contractors enough time to clear the roads after a recent storm to make it in time for park visitors on the long Cesar Chavez holiday weekend.
Caltrans public information provider Brian Hooker stated the importance of the path to the local economy during the busy spring season.
“This is one of the busiest weekends…but supporting local businesses is important,” Hooker said.
The roads are open, but crews will need to intermittently pause the driver while he does other repairs due to recent damage, Hooker said.
A stretch of about two miles on the highway (the main road to the park) between Brisburg and El Portal was closed last week after rainy weather dropped rocks on narrow canyon roads.
Over the past few weeks, California has been hit by repeated storms that have dumped their feet in the mountains and created debris flows and rock slides on the state highways.
According to the National Weather Service, Yosemite Valley recorded 7.38 inches of rain during the recent storm, while El Portal recorded 6.48 inches.
The roads will resume, but Caltrans recommends that Park visitors follow live updates to the QuickMap app.
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