Posted on 06/22/2006 3:11:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO
A bridge is being built around a rock slide that closed a main route to Yosemite National Park and disrupted business and life in the area, state transportation officials announced Thursday.
The company chosen for the project, Teichert Construction, has started moving equipment and bridge parts to Highway 140, which has been blocked since April 29 by 3 million cubic yards of rock and debris.
Construction can't begin until the California Department of Transportation gets all the permits needed to move through the Merced River and build on federal forest service land, but officials hope the project will be completed within about two months.
"We're working as quickly as we possibly can to get the roadway open," said Caltrans spokeswoman Zelie Nogueira, who added the agency hasn't yet determined how much the bridge will cost.
Because the mountain above the Merced River's narrow and winding canyon is still crumbling, it's unclear when the road could be cleared, allowing traffic to resume. But the bridge, expected to remain in place for two to three years, should bring great relief to local residents.
Employees who work in the national park and live on the other side of the slide have seen their commutes increase to about five hours a day. And support services like hotels and restaurants that survive on tourists are losing much of their yearly income because summer is their busiest time, according to county officials.
"It has been a worry, and will remain one for a while," said Lee Stetson, chair of Mariposa County's board of supervisors. "But the good news is Caltrans is not waiting for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place, and are aggressively moving forward."
In the meantime, he said, visitors should be aware that Mariposa's still open for business.
"The delay in getting to Yosemite just means you have more time to see beautiful Mariposa County," he said.
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On the Net:
Yosemite National Park: http://nps.gov/yose/
They think it'll take 2 months, Yah Right.
It'll probably takes years to get the permits, Thanks to EIS/EIR and other permit stuff and environmental protests.
In generations past, we'd just have dynamited it, cleaned up the rubble and get the road back up and running.
Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco at Devil's Slide has been out for months. There is nothing like proper permits to ensure people are safe, happy and prosperous.
gets all the permits needed to move through the Merced River and build on federal forest service land, but officials hope the project will be completed within about two months.
oh thats rich; over/under is two years
I'm having a hard time figuring how "a" bridge will fix this.
If the bridge takes you to the other side of the river, how do you get back to the highway?
OK, I hadn't seen that picture above when I posted. It will be a long bridge that will cut the corner.
Back in the mid 1990's there was a temporary bridge over the interchange of HWY24 and I-680 (Walnut Creek, CA) during a major rework of that snake's nest. Not a low, short bridge, mind you, but one of the long, high, arcing, flyover bridges that spans the entire interchange and soars over 100 feet above the rest of the world.
It was steeper, higher, and shakier than the permanent structure is. I was NEVER at ease driving over it with the heavy truck traffic during commute hours; it shook and bounced -- it was downright springy -- and generally gave me the heebie-jeebies. I was happy to have that project finished up so I could drive on a bridge that has some substance to it.
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