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Work Continues To Rebuild Big Oak Flat Road In Yosemite National Park

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Published Date

April 20, 2017

Work continues to rebuild the Big Oak Flat Road in Yosemite National Park/NPS

While progress is being made on rebuilding a section of the Big Oak Flat Road in Yosemite National Park, there is no firm date for when the road will reopen to traffic.

The wet winter spurred a spring upslope of the road to soften and erode soils, causing a stretch of the road to slump downhill. In early April, road crews dug down 65 feet to the bottom of the underground spring. The slope has been stabilized and soil and rock have been brought into the park to rebuild the roadbed. As of Tuesday, the roadbed had been built up 26 feet, which is about half way to the surface of the road. 

More than 200 feet of roadway has been impacted. As a result of the slide, the Big Oak Flat Road from Crane Flat to Foresta Junction has been unsafe for vehicular travel and closed for repairs since late February. Until the road reopens, visitors cannot drive from Crane Flat to Yosemite Valley via the Big Oak Flat Road.

Visitors are encouraged to visit Yosemite via the Big Oak Flat entrance. The park has waived the entrance fee for all vehicles entering via the Big Oak Flat Entrance. Visitors entering the park via Highway 120 can enjoy camping at Hodgdon Meadow Campground, snowshoeing and Nordic Skiing from Crane Flat and hiking in the Merced and Tuolumne Groves of Giant Sequoias. Park entrance fees still apply to all visitors entering the park via Hetch Hetchy, the Arch Rock and South Entrance Stations.

Highway 140 (El Portal Road) and Highway 41 (Wawona Road) are open and clear for all vehicular traffic to access Yosemite Valley and Wawona. Visitors traveling to and from Yosemite National Park are urged to drive with caution, follow posted speed limits, and be aware of rocks and debris on the roadway.

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