Highway 108 near Sonora Pass
Sierra Sun Times file photo
100 Miles Of Road Cleared, But Late Storms, Above Average Snow Depth and Winter Conditions Cause Delay
May 22, 2019 - Despite the heroic efforts of our crews working nearly seven days a week since the beginning of April to clear the high Sierra routes for the summer season, they will remain closed through the Memorial Day holiday weekend due to unusually heavy winter conditions this year.
The work this year has included a snow pack that was 161% of normal. Crews encountered a consistently deeper snow pack at lower elevations than is normal with drifts up to 25’ at the higher elevations, which has caused work to slow from a normal average of ½ mile per day most years to at times as little as 1/10 of a mile per day this year.
These late storms have also forced our crews to divert equipment and personnel to lower elevations to clear roads for the traveling public and necessitated plowing new snow just to reach the seasonal clearing work sites.
With the addition of adding two shifts per day and despite all of the above, Caltrans crews from District 10 and Caltrans District 9 have succeeded in clearing snow from 100 miles of roads that are closed during the winter and will likely have all the snow removed from the routes within a matter of days.
The estimated time of opening is dependent on the progress to remove remaining snow from the routes and the completion of any repairs needed to fix damage to the roadway, guardrail, culverts, drains and signs, due to damage from rockfall, trees, snow and ice prior to reopening the routes for the season.
Yosemite National Park manages Tioga Road inside the park boundary which remains closed with no estimate for when it is expected to open for the season.
For the safety of the traveling public and our crews, the routes will remain closed despite this progress as winter conditions will continue to persist and ice and rockfall will be a hazard particularly in the shaded sections of the roadways.
Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass require closure during the winter season. Sonora Pass has grades in excess of 20% and Ebbetts Pass has grades in excess of 23%, far exceeding typical highway grades of 6%. The steep grades, high elevation and narrow roads cannot accommodate snow removal equipment and vehicular traffic at the same time and make it hazardous to allow travel when icy conditions exist.
Thanks for your patience and understanding. We know how important it is for communities on either side of the pass for the route to be open for the summer season. For the latest in highway information please check http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call our Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).
Source: Caltrans
