November 29, 2018 - MARIPOSA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the California Highway Patrol are planning to re-open State Route 140 in and near the Ferguson Fire burn scar at 12 p.m. (noon) on Friday, November 30, 2018. This closure is due to an ongoing storm that led to multiple mudslides and debris such as rocks coming onto the roadway.

 

This closure is in place for approximately 17 miles from Bear Creek near Midpines to Foresta Road in El Portal – approximately 4 miles west of the Yosemite National Park entrance. The closure began overnight at 2 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29.

 

Risks for this stretch of roadway in storm conditions include mudslides and the movement of debris on highway lanes. Caltrans is co-piloting a weather monitoring system for the Ferguson Fire scar area with the National Weather Service office in Hanford, which led to this pre-emptive closure. The U.S. Forest Service and several other partnering agencies are helping with this system.

After the storm has passed, Caltrans crews will continue to patrol the area and clear any debris and inspect the road before reopening to traffic.

This closure is scheduled to begin as listed, but is subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and/or materials and other issues.