Sonora, CA – This weekend’s storm dropped plenty of snow throughout the Sierra Nevada, and with more blustery weather on the way this week Caltrans decided to close the remaining Mountain Passes.
The gates were closed on the Sonora Pass/Highway108 and Ebbetts Pass/Highway 4 for the winter season at noon. Up until now, these two passes had been closed on a temporary basis due to snow, ice and weather for the past couple of months. Caltrans says several factors influence the decision-making process for temporary closing, opening, and seasonal closures of the mountain highways. Those include storms, the amount of snowfall and overall road conditions.
Caltrans provided the below locations for the closures:
The mountain passes will remain closed until the winter storm season has passed. Then snow and debris will be removed prior to reopening the passes in 2021. Maintenance crews will also inspect the roadways and make needed repairs before they are opened to the traveling public.
Highway 4 Tioga Pass closed for the season in November, after a storm left hazardous road conditions, as reported here.
Find out the road conditions at any time by going to the mymotherlode.com home page and clicking on traffic or click here.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
Sign up for our Breaking News Alerts and the myMotherLode.com Daily Newsletters by clicking here. Report breaking news, traffic or weather to our News Hotline (209) 532-6397. Send Mother Lode News Story photos to news@clarkebroadcasting.com.
For Caltrans traffic information for Highway’s 4, 49, 59, 108, and 120 plus a view of traffic on other Mother Lode roads and gas prices click on “Traffic” or keyword: traffic For an overview of extreme weather news stories go here.