Portion of Highway 140 to Yosemite in Mariposa County reopens following rockslide

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- New photos show the progress crews are making on clearing a rock slide along Highway 140 in Mariposa County.

Caltrans workers repaved the road Wednesday in preparation for the one-way traffic control opening.

"When they started taking all the rubble off the road, it took them one day, which is incredible how fast that happened," said Jacob Hawley with the Mariposa Visitor Center.

Last week, big boulders blocked Highway 140 near Briceburg after a rockslide, closing the road in both directions.

Caltrans crews and contractors are working around the clock to make progress on the popular pathway to get to Yosemite National Park.

"Typically, this time of year, we have the waterfalls going, and so we have a lot of traffic going through. Right now we are definitely not having the fairest traffic come through as much as we'd like it, and businesses are definitely noticing it," said Hawley.

One place that felt the impact is Yosemite Gifts.

"It's been really quiet. Sunday was okay, Saturday was dead. Yesterday was dead," said Su Carney, owner of Yosemite Gifts.

Action News spoke with Su Carney last week about the closure, but with Wednesday's reopening, she's already seen a change in business.

"It's been busy; I thought I was going to get a lot of work done. I brought tons of work to do, but I've just been helping customers. I'd rather do that anyway," said Carney.

With roadwork still underway, Caltrans is reminding drivers to be patient.

"Go slow in the cone zone. We want to make sure that motorists understand this is going to be an active construction zone. We want them to be prepared for any delays that they may encounter," said Brian Hooker, Caltrans District 10 Public Information Officer.

Now locals are appreciative of how quickly the rubble was removed so tourists can visit Yosemite for spring.

"Just in time, so I'm very thankful and grateful," said Carney.

Caltrans wants people to expect 5 to 10 minute delays.

While they are taking it day by day, they are hopeful for a full reopening in the coming week.

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