Mother Lode Mountain Pass Clearing Completion Nears
Sonora, CA — As motorists chomp at the bit in anticipation of the seasonal openings of Sonora and Ebbetts passes, Caltrans officials are signalling that it will be soon, indeed.
Thursday, the Caltrans District 9 office issued a Twitter alert that the goal for Highway 108 Sonora Pass was for it, pending unforeseen and safety conditions, to be ready for public travel sometime next Wednesday.
Caltrans District 10 spokesperson Rick Estrada couched that prediction somewhat. He states, “There’s still work to do and they can’t predict whether they might encounter a situation that demands unexpected work. As a rule, we try not to predict an event that could happen six days in the future. It’s critical that we try to provide as current and accurate information as we can to motorists who might be driving up the hill.”
While Estrada says fingers are crossed that perhaps Sonora Pass will be ready to swing open by midweek next week, changing weather and road conditions among other factors are all possible impacts that could delay it a bit longer.
As of Thursday, Caltrans officials do not yet have any confirmation to share of a definite opening date for Highway 4 Ebbetts Pass. Without a doubt, as in the past Caltrans has generally been able to get both of the mountain passes under its auspices open in time for the Memorial Day Weekend holiday, it won’t be long before motorists will be again enjoying passage through Ebbetts, too.
