Yosemite Big Oak Flat Road reopens Saturday 3-10-2012

From today's NPS Daily Report. 

This for the road between Crane Flat and Yosemite Valley.

Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) in Yosemite National Park to Reopen on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Major Road Repairs Completed Four Weeks Ahead of Schedule
Scott Gediman 209-372-0248
Kari Cobb 209-372-0529

Yosemite National Park announces that the Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 within the park) will reopen both lanes of traffic at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012.  The closure and road repairs were necessary after a large rockslide severely damaged the road on Sunday, January 22, 2012.

The closure was expected to last until early April, but once the repair work began, crews found the extent of subsurface damage was less than originally anticipated. The mild weather over the past few weeks was also a major contributing factor, allowing road crews to work around the clock in order to safely reopen the road to traffic.

“We want to thank park staff, the Federal Highways Administration, and the contractor T. L. Peterson, Inc., for their tremendous effort to open the road quickly,” said Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park Superintendent. “This will help reduce the economic burden that the closure caused for our gateway communities. The reopening is also good news for community members that regularly travel on the road to other parts of the park.” 

The remaining road repairs work will occur over the next few weeks with minimal delays and intermittent single lane traffic control. (K. Cobb)