Yosemite National Park - El Portal Road Reconstruction (U.S. National Park Service)

Construction Work related to this project:
El Portal Road (Highway 140 from Merced)
CLOSED west of Yosemite Valley 10 pm to 6 am (beginning Dec. 9) Sunday nights through Thursday nights

Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 from Manteca)
CLOSED west of Yosemite Valley 10 pm to 6 am (beginning Dec. 9) Sunday nights through Thursday nights
30-minute delays at other times

Project Status
Skip to project documents

The following is a list of the various stages that occur during a planning process. Though there are added public involvement opportunities such as meetings and workshops throughout, this outlines the major steps. They include:

  Initial public outreach
  Technical Study/Report
  Public scoping (ended 4/10/06)
Plan development
Public review & comment
Produce final plan/report
  Decision document
> Implementation of
plan/project <

The El Portal Road Reconstruction project was originally intended to address various motorist safety and configuration issues in such a way that would align the road structurally and aesthetically with the three road segments previously completed. Since then, the most recent Merced Wild and Scenic River-related court decision has directed the National Park Service to prepare a new, valid comprehensive management plan for the river.

In the absence of a user capacity management framework and the river values that such a plan would identify, planning for the reconstruction of the entire final segment of the El Portal Road will be postponed. Instead, the current project focuses specifically on how to address the immediate risk to health and safety and develop a long-term solution for those portions of the road currently being undercut by the river.

Alternative solutions for the rehabilitation of this section of the El Portal Road have been evaluated in an Environmental Assessment and incorporated input from park staff and the interested public. Throughout the planning process, decisions made continue to respect the values of the Wild and Scenic River.

Documents pertaining to the El Portal Road Rehabilitation Project:

Finding of No Significant Impact (1.8 MB PDF)
Public comment letters (3 MB PDF)
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Scoping letters (2.8 MB PDF)
News Release Announcing Public Scoping (58 kb PDF)
View project posters that give an in depth view of the project area (1.3 MB PDF).
Learn about and RSVP for the public site visit for this project.
November 14, 2006 Federal Register Notice of Intent.
El Portal Road Rehabilitation -- Pohono Bridge to Big Oak Flat Intersection Fact Sheet - 6.07 (133 kb PDF)

Section of the undercut El Portal Road.