There’s a mess under that dense snow that shut California passes. See heavy task ahead
While Caltrans crews continue to plow dense and heavy snow from impassable Highway 108 across Sonora Pass into Tuolumne County, they are uncovering mangled signs, experiencing flooding and face the daunting task of clearing massive boulders in the roadway.
Road maintenance workers have worked their way nearly a mile into Tuolumne County after reaching the summit last week, Caltrans District 9 reported.
“The maintenance team is still using a snowcat to clear the top layers of snow from the roadway while snow blowers clear up to four and a half feet from the pavement below,” the agency said on Instagram.
Along the way, damaged signs, crushed by the weight of the snow, have been uncovered, new video shows.
Meanwhile, on Highway 120 west, Lee Vining-based crews have reached Ellery Lake and are within just three miles the eastern gate to Yosemite National Park.
There, avalanche risk and rockfalls remain a concern, according to Caltrans. Snow banks at that elevation are still more than 10 feet tall, but are melting and swelling creeks and streams.
“Once the snow removal is complete, maintenance crews will shift to clearing boulders and debris from the road and repairing any pavement or rock berms that were damaged in the slides,” Caltrans said. “There is still plenty of snow to remove from the roadway as crews continue to work toward the eastern entrance to Yosemite.”
See crews clear Sonora, Tioga passes: ‘Deep enough to stop snow blower in its tracks’
