Repairs to Wawona Tunnel to begin in Yosemite National Park

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News Release Date: September 4, 2013

Repairs to the Wawona Tunnel in Yosemite National Park, located along the Wawona Road/Hwy 41, are scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 8, 2013.  The historic tunnel, completed in 1933, leads to "Tunnel View," one of the most iconic and beautiful vistas in the National Park System.  Millions of visitors flock to "Tunnel View" each year to witness and photograph spectacular vistas of Yosemite Valley.  The park completed a major overhaul of the "Tunnel View" area in 2008.

Most of the construction will occur inside the tunnel and incremental traffic delays will be instituted during the construction period, which begins September 8 through December 13, 2013.

The work is needed to clean and repair the Wawona Tunnel, which includes repairing sections of the tunnel wall, floor, and ceiling, sealing cracks and joints, improving the drainage system, and cleaning the interior of the length of the tunnel.

Traffic delays will be scheduled throughout the duration of the construction project.  However, no delays will occur over weekends or holidays.  Throughout the project, there will be controlled traffic and pilot car operations.  The public is urged to drive with caution during the duration of the construction.

The schedule for the traffic delays is as follows:

Sunday, September 8 through Sunday, September 29

• Sunday evening at 8:00 p.m. to Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., traffic delays will occur from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (delays up to 30 minutes)
• 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (delays up to 15 minutes)

Monday, September 30 through Thursday, December 13

• Sunday evening at 8:00 p.m. to Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., traffic delays will occur from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (delays up to 30 minutes)
• 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (delays up to two hours)
• 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (delays up to 15 minutes)

There will be no delays during weekends or holidays.

For more information on road construction in the park, please visit https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/roadwork.htm.  

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