News Release

National Park Service Seeks Public Input on Project to Rehabilitate Mineral King Road Within Sequoia National Park

The Mineral King Road narrows between two giant sequoias on its way to the Mineral King Valley within Sequoia National Park.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: April 20, 2021

Contact: Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, 559-679-2866

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, California April 20, 2021– The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public comment on a project to rehabilitate just over 15 miles of Mineral King Road within Sequoia National Park. The existing surface of Mineral King Road is in poor condition, and inadequate drainage along the roadway is causing erosion and is undermining the structural integrity of the road base. The NPS anticipates that construction would begin no sooner than 2023 and would occur over the course of several years.

The NPS, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, is proposing to rehabilitate all 15.29 miles of road within Sequoia National Park, from the park boundary to the Mineral King Valley. The proposed action includes re-paving the roadway within its existing width (including slightly more than one mile which is currently not paved), stabilizing and reinforcing cutslopes and the outside edge of the roadway, replacing and enlarging over 200 culverts, paving six currently unpaved parking lots near the end of the road and adding accessible parking and equivalent experiences where feasible.

Given the short construction season at high elevations, temporary road closures would likely be necessary throughout construction.

Learn More and Provide Input
For information about the proposed project and to provide comments, please visit the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MineralKingRoadRehab.

Comments that provide insights about the current proposed action and potential mitigations around public closures are particularly helpful.

Written comments may be sent via mail or hand-delivery to:

Superintendent
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Attn: Mineral King Road Project
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271

All comments about this project must be transmitted, postmarked, or hand-delivered by May 19, 2021.

Virtual Public Meeting
Interested parties can also participate in a virtual webinar on Tuesday, April 27 at 4:00 p.m. (PST). For additional information on the webinar, visit the PEPC project website, listed above.

Following the public comment period, the NPS will analyze and consider all feedback, will modify and evaluate the proposed action as appropriate, and will move toward finalizing environmental reviews in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and other applicable laws and policies.