Highway 168 at bottom of 4-lane remains closed due to heavy snow
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Over the weekend, there were white-out conditions on Highway 168 as a winter storm brought feet of snowfall.
Crews first prioritized rescuing vehicles stuck on the highway and now are continuing to clear roads.
"The highway has become extremely narrow. Down to one lane at best," said California Highway Patrol officer Justice Jones.
Embankments of snow have gotten higher and higher.
"At some point, there is nowhere to push it. And so as you get higher up the mountain, it's tall, it's narrow, and there is nowhere for it to go. And it just keeps coming back into the road. We are running out of space in Shaver town to push the snow," explained Jones.
As the wind picks up, visibility gets worse.
Caltrans, county road, and utility workers have been working around the clock.
"They are busting their humps. They are 24/7 schedules. The private snow contractors that are clearing the cabins and what have you, they are working 24-7."
Snow removal work has even taken a toll on equipment.
"Especially these big blowers they are so sensitive. They freeze up. They get stuck. And then they can't do anything, and if you don't have the blowers, no matter how much snow you're moving the banks are so high right now once you get past shaver. The banks are 8-9-10 feet high," said Tim Cohee, general manager of China Peak Mountain Resort.
Access to Shaver Lake, Huntington Lake and China Peak Resort remains closed.
Cohee says he has never seen a 168 closure last this long.
More than 100 employees are housed at the resort and have continued to manage the feet of snowfall there.
Once the highway does open, Cohee expects a historic end to the season.
"We are going to have probably 170 days of skiing and riding. That happens once a decade," Cohee said.
The tentative date to open the road is Thursday, but it will ultimately depend on how much snow falls and how quickly it can be cleared.
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