What you need to know: U.S. 395 will fully close for 15 days within the Sonora Junction Shoulders Project while crews install two under-highway wildlife crossings, providing safe and sustainable passage for mule deer and other area wildlife.

August 6, 2024 - MONO COUNTY – Beginning Wednesday, September 4, U.S. 395 will fully close between Bridgeport and State Route 108 for 15 days while crews install two wildlife crossings underneath the roadway as part of the Sonora Junction Shoulders Project. The project, which began construction in May, is widening the shoulders of the highway to 8 feet, installing rail-element retaining walls, and stabilizing slopes with anchored mesh in addition to installing the wildlife crossings.

Each “plate pipe” archway undercrossing will measure more than 70 feet in length and stand between 9.5 feet and 11 feet high. With 69 reported wildlife collisions since 2002 (many more incidents go unreported), Caltrans biologists identified this stretch of U.S. 395 as a crossing hotspot for the West Walker herd of mule deer. The addition of two oversized culverts and fencing to direct animals away from traffic aims to reduce wildlife mortality rates on this stretch of U.S. 395.

Source: Caltrans