Snow Removal and Emergency Repairs

Caltrans District 9 manages State Route 89 (Monitor Pass) from U.S. 395 in Mono County to the Mono/Alpine County Line. Caltrans District 10 manages State Route 89 in Alpine County.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: Caltrans District 9 maintenance crews have reached the Mono/Alpine County Line in their snow removal efforts. Caltrans District 10 is continuing to clear snow and debris from the highway.

• April 28, 2023: Caltrans District 10 is continuing it work on reopening State Route 89 (Monitor Pass). Crews are replacing culverts that were damaged by the winter storms and will be repaving the highway near Laramie Street. Maintenance crews are close to reaching the Mono/Alpine County Line, though there is no estimated time for when Monitor Pass will reopen.
• May 12, 2023: State Route 89 (Monitor Pass) reopened at 3:00 pm.

Caltrans District 9 manages eight miles of State Route 108 (Sonora Pass) from the junction of U.S. 395 to the Tuolumne County Line. Caltrans District 10 manages State Route 108 in Tuolumne County.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: Maintenance crews from the Sonora Junction Maintenance Station have begun clearing snow from State Route 108 over Sonora Pass. Approximately two miles worth of snow have so far been cleared from the Mono County side of State Route 108.
• April 28, 2023: Maintenance crews are now approximately five miles away from the Mono/Tuolumne County Line on State Route 108 (Sonora Pass). The highway is cleared to Postmile 5, which is roughly a half-mile east of the Leavitt Creek Vista Point.
• May 5, 2023: Sonora Junction maintenance crews are approximately 3.7 miles east of the Mono/Tuolumne County Line on State Route 108. The snow on the highway at this point is approximately 8 feet deep and crews will be utilizing a second snow blower on the road to expedite the process.

• May 12, 2023: Maintenance crews working on State Route 108 are approximately 2.2 miles east of the Mono/Tuolumne County Line. Caltrans District 9 has multiple snow blowers clearing snow from the highway. A snowcat is also in use on Sonora Pass to assist the snow blowers by reducing the depth of the of the snow on the roadway.

• May 19, 2023: Sonora Junction maintenance crews are roughly one mile away from the Mono/Tuolumne County Line. There are still multiple snow blowers and a snowcat in use on the highway. The snow at this elevation (~9000 ft.) is dense and moisture-rich. Crews expect to see the deepest and heaviest snow on the highway within the final mile to the county line.
• May 26, 2023: Maintenance crews have reached the summit of Sonora Pass from the Mono County side.

• June 2, 2023: Sonora Pass maintenance crews have crossed over into Tuolumne County. District 9 and District 10 are roughly one mile apart. Once the snow is cleared from the roadway, crews will complete any necessary repairs before reopening.

• June 9, 2023: State Route 108 reopened over Sonora Pass at 1:00 pm.

Caltrans District 9 manages State Route 120 W up to the gate of Yosemite National Park. For information on the reopening of Tioga Pass and Tioga Road, contact Yosemite National Park at (209) 372-0200

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: State Route 120 W at Lee Vining remains closed. Snow removal has not yet started on this mountain highway as maintenance crews from Lee Vining focus on State Route 120 E.
• April 28, 2023: Maintenance Crews from Lee Vining have startedMay 19, 202 snow clearing operations on State Route 120 W. The crew has managed to clear the first major snow drift from the road and has progressed approximately 3/10 of a mile up the highway.
• May 5, 2023: Maintenance crews from Lee Vining are approximately six miles east of the entrance to Yosemite National Park. Crews are able to clear approximately 1/4 of a mile per day, however, snow slides in the afternoon and evening hours are proving to be a challenge.
• May 12, 2023: Lee Vining maintenance crews have reached Warren Curve on State Route 120 W, which is about 4.8 miles away from the gate to Yosemite. The snow on the highway is still several feet deep at this point. Maintenance crews are utilizing both snow blowers and snow plow to remove the snow from the highway.

• May 19, 2023: The Lee Vining maintenance team has reached Wilson Curve, which is roughly 9,000' in elevation and 4.3 miles away from the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Due to movement on the hillsides further down the pass, crews have had to revisit previously cleared areas to remove new snow on the highway.
• May 26, 2023: Maintenance crews trained on a new loader/snow blower this week at the Lee Vining maintenance yard. It is the biggest loader and biggest snow blower in all of Caltrans District 9. On State Route 120 W, crews are roughly 3 miles away from the gate to Yosemite.
• June 2, 2023: Lee Vining maintenance crews are within three miles of the gate to Yosemite. Rockfall and the winter snow runoff continue to be a concern on the highway.

• June 9, 2023: Maintenance crews from Lee Vining have punched through to the gate of Yosemite. There is still snow to remove from the shoulders and parking areas along the highway. Guardrail that was damaged during the winter will also need to be replaced before the highway can reopen.
• June 16, 2023: State Route 120 W to Yosemite will remain closed into next week as crews continue the winter clean-up process. The Lee Vining maintenance team is still clearing snow from shoulders and parking areas along the highway, as well as doing rock work at lower elevations. Additionally, there are more guardrail repairs to make.
• June 27, 2023. Snow removal is finished on State Route 120 W up to the gate of Yosemite. Shoulders and parking spots have been cleared. Lee Vining maintenance crews are now focused on rock work at the Blue Slide area of the highway. This process, along with the guardrail repair, is expected to last into mid-July.
• July 7, 2023: Lee Vining maintenance crews have reached the final stretch of repairs for State Route 120 W. Rock work at Blue Slide is nearly complete and guardrail repairs are expected to be done next week. Once both tasks are complete, crews will be able to assess the roadway for a reopening.
• July 13, 2023: State Route 120 W between Lee Vining and the eastern entrance to Yosemite reopened at 3:00 pm. For information on accessing Yosemite National Park, please visit this link.

Caltrans District 9 manages State Route 120 E (Mono Mills Road) from U.S. 395 south of Lee Vining to U.S. 6 in Benton. Benton Crossing Road, which connects to State Route 120 near Benton Hot Springs, is managed by Mono County Public Works.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: Caltrans maintenance crews from Lee Vining and McGee Creek have begun clearing snow from State Route 120 E (Mono Mills Road).
• April 28, 2023: Snow removal operations have completed on State Route 120 E. Nightly snow melt from the higher elevations is creating flooding and icing issues on the highway, resulting in dangerous driving conditions. Before State Route 120 E can reopen, Caltrans will need to repair all guardrail, shoulders, and potholes within the closure area.
• May 5, 2023: Repairs to State Route 120 E are ongoing. The highway will fully reopen once these repairs are complete.
• May 12, 2023: Emergency repairs to State Route 120 E near Benton Hot Springs began this week. Once those repairs are complete, Caltrans will be closer to fully opening the highway.

• May 19, 2023: Emergency repairs continue on State Route 120 E near Benton Hot Springs. Construction crews anticipate repaving sections of the highway during the week of May 22. West of the closure, maintenance supervisors have encountered water pouring over the highway as the spring runoff ramps up.
• May 26, 2023: State Route 120 E fully reopened in both directions at noon.

Caltrans District 9 manages State Route 270 (Bodie Road) from U.S. 395 to approximately 9.8 miles east of junction of U.S. 395 and State Route 270. Bodie State Park manages the road beyond this point to the entrance of the park.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: Maintenance crews from the Bridgeport Maintenance Station have begun clearing snow from State Route 270.

• April 28, 2023: Bridgeport maintenance crews have reached Postmile 7, which is seven miles east of the junction with U.S. 395, on State Route 270. The snow on the highway is approximately six to seven feet deep at this point. The crews have about three more miles to go before they reach the unpaved portion of the road, which is managed by Bodie Historic State Park.
• May 5, 2023: Bridgeport maintenance crews were able to clear another 1/2 mile of State Route 270 this week and are approximately 2.5 miles away from the end of the paved section of highway. The snow on the highway is between six to eight feet deep at this elevation.
• May 12, 2023: Maintenance crews reached the end of the paved section of State Route 270 this week. Before reopening the highway, crews will need to clean debris from the highway left there by a string of flash floods at the end of April.

• May 19, 2023: Snow has been cleared from the Caltrans portion of Bodie Road. However, flooding remains an issue as the spring runoff begins to ramp up. A section of highway was undercut by the flooding and will need to be repaired before it can reopen. The road beyond the Caltrans paved section of State Route 270 remains impassable to most vehicles.
• May 26, 2023: Maintenance crews will repair sections of highway that were damaged by flood waters earlier this month and in April. A full reopening of the highway will depend on spring run-off flooding as there is a lot of snow yet to melt in Bodie State Historic Park. Temporary berms on the highway will remain in place until the flooding threat subsides.
• June 2, 2023: Repairs to the highway are ongoing. Temporary berms remain in place as high water flows continue within the Bodie State Historic Park boundaries.
• June 9, 2023: State Route 270 (Bodie Road) will remain closed into next week as highway repairs continue.
• June 16, 2023: State Route 270 is expected to remain closed for the rest of June as large portions of the unpaved section of Bodie Road are impassible for vehicle traffic due to mud. Caltrans crews will continue preparing the paved section of the highway for the reopening.
• July 1, 2023: State Route 270 reopened from its winter closure. 

State Route 158 North (North June Lake Loop) is managed by Caltrans District 9 and is usually one of the first seasonal closures to reopen in the spring.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: Maintenance crews from the Lee Vining Maintenance Station are nearly finished removing snow from State Route 158 N. Before the highway can reopen, any damage to the roadway, shoulder, and guardrail must be repaired. This highway is prone to spring avalanches with melting snow, and Caltrans will be inspecting hillsides to assess the avalanche risk before reopening.

• April 27, 2023: State Route 158 N (North June Lake Loop) reopened from its winter closure.

Caltrans District 9 manages State Route 168 West from the gate in Aspendell to the end of the highway near Lake Sabrina. South Lake Road, which connects State Route 168 West to South Lake, is managed by Inyo County.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: Maintenance crews from the Bishop Maintenance Station have begun removing snow from State Route 168 W at Aspendell.
• April 28, 2023: Bishop maintenance crews have cleared roughly 1/2 mile of snow from State Route 168 W. Spring avalanches continue to cause issues on the highway, as you can see in the background of the picture below.

• Mary 5, 2023: Snow removal efforts on State Route 168 W were paused for the week as Bishop maintenance staff tended to other highways that were impacted by snowfall and rain from early May storms.
• May 12, 2023: Maintenance crews from the Bishop maintenance station have reached the end of the Caltrans right of way on State Route 168 W. One lane has been cleared to Sabrina Campground. There is still a lot of snow on the road beyond the campground and crews have had to remove trees from the highway that were brought down by an avalanche.
• May 19, 2023: Bishop maintenance crews continue to make good progress on State Route 168 west of Aspendell. One lane has been cleared to North Lake turn. There are a lot of downed trees mixed with the snow on the highway that still need to be removed.

• May 26, 2023: Maintenance crews from Bishop have managed to clear most of State Route 168 West of Aspendell. Inyo National Forest crews are working to clear the portion of the road under their jurisdiction.
• June 2, 2023: State Route 168 W reopened on June 1 from the gate in Aspendell to Lake Sabrina.

Caltrans District 9 manages State Route 203 from U.S. 395 to the end of the highway at Minaret Vista Point. In the winter, the highway is closed from the western side of Mammoth Mountain to Minaret Vista Point.

Updates:

• April 25, 2023: State Route 203 remains closed at the western side of Mammoth Mountain to Minaret Vista Point. Mammoth Mountain is expected to remain open for winter activities until the end of July.
• June 9, 2023: Maintenance crews from McGee Creek are expected to begin removing snow form State Route 203 west of Mammoth Mountain next week.
• July 14, 2023: State Route 203 reopened between Mammoth Mountain and Minaret Vista Point. The road to Reds Meadow remains closed at this time. Please contact the Inyo National Forest for the latest information on accessing Reds Meadow.

State Route 58 from just west of Keene to the Dennison Road overpass in Tehachapi experienced significant roadway damage due to the 2023 winter storms. Caltrans District 9 coordinated with headquarters to fund an emergency project for slab replacements on State Route 58 in the eastbound and westbound direction.

Project Parameters:

• Eastbound: Postmile 82.7 (east of Woodford-Tehachapi Road) to Postmile 92.7 (west of Dennison Road)
• Westbound: Postmile 82.08 (east of Keene) to Postmile 91.6 (west of North Mill Street)

Project Contractor: Sully-Miller Contracting Company

Estimated Project Cost: $1,500,000

Estimated Start Date: May 30, 2023

Updates:

• June 9, 2023: Work began this week on the emergency repair project for State Route 58. One lane in each direction will be closed 24/7 during construction.

On U.S. 395 in Mono County, Caltrans District 9 coordinated with Caltrans headquarters to fund an emergency project for at Topaz Lake to repair a slip in the ground between the highway pavement and lake-side shoulder.

Project Parameters: Postmile 118.4 to Postmile 118.8 (Along Topaz Lake, approximately 1.9 miles south of the Nevada State Line)

Project Contractor: Hat Creek Construction & Materials, Inc.

Estimated Project Cost: $7,500,000

Estimated Start Date: TBA

Estimated Working Days: 40

Updates:

• March 19, 2023: The northbound lane of U.S. 395 closed due to slip out. Temporary traffic signals erected at the closure for one-way traffic control.
• June 12, 2023: Engineers from Caltrans District 9 are working with Engineers from Caltrans HQ on a redesign of U.S. 395 along Topaz Lake where the slip out occurred.

With historic snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, Caltrans District 9 is preparing emergency work for the first week of May to repair culverts on U.S. 395 in Olancha. During construction, U.S. 395 will be closed 24 hours a day between State Route 190 and Lacey Lane. Through traffic will detour around the closure using State Route 190 in Olancha and State Route 136 in Lone Pine. The project is expected to last five days.

Project Parameters: Postmile 34.6 to Postmile 35.4 (From State Route 190 to Lacey Lane)

Project Contractors: Fisher Sand & Gravel

Estimated Project Cost: $2,250,000

Estimated Start Date: May 1, 2023

Estimated Completion Date: May 5, 2023.

Updates:

• May 5, 2023: U.S. 395 reopened in both directions through Olancha at 2:30 pm. The emergency repairs are complete.

A series of avalanches between Lee Vining and Mono City buried a section of U.S. 395 under snow and debris. These avalanches also damaged guardrail and rockfall fencing. Caltrans District 9 coordinated with Caltrans headquarters to fund an emergency repairs to the roadway.

Project Parameters: Postmile 52 to Postmile 54 (Between Lee Vining and State Route 167)

Project Contractor: Qualcon Contractors

Estimated Project Cost: $1,000,000

Project Start Date: 3/1/2023

Updates:

• February 26, 2023: U.S. 395 is closed in both directions between Lee Vining and State Route 167 following a series of avalanches.
• March 23, 2023: Caltrans District 9 began vehicle escorts through the closure. 
• April 7, 2023: U.S. 395 fully reopened in both directions between Lee Vining and State Route 167.

Caltrans District 9 is coordinating with headquarters to fund an emergency project for U.S. 395 between Crestview and June Lake Junction, and on State Route 158 S (South June Lake Loop) to repair potholes.

Project Parameters:

• U.S. 395:Postmile 36.4 - 40.1, Postmile 77 - 80.5
• State Route 158 S:Postmile 0 (June Lake Junction) - Postmile 5.9

Project Contractor: Qualcon

Estimated Project Cost: $3,800,000

Estimated Start Date: June 13, 2023

Updates:

• June 9, 2023: Work is expected to begin next week on this emergency repair project. Drivers will encounter lane closures on U.S. 395 and one-way traffic control on State Route 158 S through June Lake.

Flash floods in March, 2023, damaged sections of the Olancha-Cartago project in March 2023. Caltrans District 9 coordinated with Caltrans headquarters on an  emergency work order for to repair washed out roadway and slopes that are under construction and washed out drainage systems.

Project Parameters: Postmile 29.4 to Postmile 42.4 (From 1.4 miles south of Los Angeles Aqueduct Bridge to .2 miles south of Ash Creek Bridge)

Project Contractor: Fisher Sand & Gravel Co.

Estimated Project Cost: $1,750,000

Estimated Start Date: April 21, 2023

Updates:

• June 12, 2023: Repairs to culverts within the new alignment are ongoing.

Flash flooding in March, 2023, washed away shoulders and damaged pavement on three District 9 highways: U.S. 6 in Mono County, State Route 120 E in Mono County, and State Route 168 W in Inyo County. Caltrans District 9 initiated an emergency repair work order to fix the three highways and clear flood debris from the roadway.

Project Parameters:

• U.S. 6: Various Locations Between Chalfant and Benton
• State Route 120 E: Between Benton Crossing Road and Benton Hot Springs
• State Route 168 W: Between Starlite Drive and South Lake Road.

Project Contractor: Granite Construction Inc.

Estimated Project Cost: $800,000

Estimated Start Date: March 23, 2023

Updates:

• March 23, 2023: Construction began on U.S. 6 with one-way traffic control. State Route 168 W and State Route 120 E remain closed.
• April 18, 2023: State Route 168 W reopened to all vehicles.
• May 12: 2023: Construction on U.S. 6 is now complete and there is no more traffic control on the highway. Emergency work is moving to State Route 120 just west of Benton Hot Springs. Once work on this section of highway is complete, work will move back to State Route 168 W for clean-up and small repairs.

• May 19, 2023: Emergency repairs continue on State Route 120 E near Benton Hot Springs. Construction crews anticipate repaving sections of the highway during the week of May 22.
• May 26, 2023: Emergency repairs on U.S. 6, State Route 120 E, and State Route 168 W have finished. State Route 120 E reopened at noon.

In December, 2022, three of the four water pumps at the eastbound and westbound Boron Safety Roadside Rest Area in Eastern Kern County failed, requiring the rest areas to shut down. Caltrans District 9 was able to temporarily restore service to both Boron rest areas with replacement pumps, but was forced to close them again when the replacement pumps failed. Caltrans is coordinating with headquarters to fund an emergency project that will restore service to the Boron Safety Roadside Rest Area.

Project Parameters: Boron Safety Roadside Rest Area (Eastbound & Westbound)

Project Contractors: Aneen Construction Inc.

Estimated Project Cost: $175,000

Estimated Start Date: August, 2023

Updates:

• June 12, 2023: Three new pumps have been ordered for the Boron Rest Area. These pumps are not "off the shelf" and must be built specifically for the rest area. Delivery of the pumps is anticipated for August/September.