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Yosemite National ParkPlanning UpdateVolume 4, Spring 1997 |
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| Highway 140 |
The 7.5 mile section of Highway 140 (the El Portal Road) within Yosemite National Park was
damaged at 21 locations and weakened in at least thirty others by this and previous storms.
Before the flood, this road was already unsafe for buses, but the 1980 General Management Plan
calls for a public transportation closures. Thus, the damage to Highway 140 from the 1997 flood
presents the Park with an opportunity to redesign and rebuild the road, making it safer for travel
while maintaining its historic character and protecting the wild and scenic Merced River
corridor.
Reconstruction will require two phases. Phase 1, in progress since the first days following the flood, is emergency stabilization to restore two-lane traffic (estimated completion, May 23). During Phase 2, the permanent repairs, we expect to increase the total road width by no more than six feet. One to two feet of drainage ditch widening will reduce repairs in the future; increasing lane width from nine feet to eleven feet will provide a safer road. At the same time, the width will still present a park-like character particularly when compared to the typical improved county and state roads with lane widths of twelve to fourteen feet. Trimming of selected outcroppings will eliminate hazardous curves. And, the river-side guard wall will remain. A draft environmental assessment of the proposed permanent repairs is expected to be released by the NPS for public review and comment from April 12 to May 11, 1997. |
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