Caltrans Plows Ahead With Mountain Pass Snow Removal

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Sonora, CA — Next week Caltrans crews will fan out to check on the road conditions along three highways for seasonal clearing, including one in Tuolumne County.

Plowing will begin on Tuesday (April 2) on Sonora Pass Highway 108 and Ebbetts Pass Highway 4 and Monitor Pass Highway 89, both in Alpine County. Caltrans warns that the work could limit snowmobile access on those highways. The target each year is to get the roadways cleared by Memorial Day Weekend, but Caltrans officials acknowledge that Mother Nature can hinder that goal with a late spring storm. That scenario did take place in 2017 when severe winter storms hindered clearing and kept Sonora Pass closed until June 13th with Ebbetts Pass not opening until just before the July 4th holiday, as reported here.

Snow removal on Sonora Pass will run from the Sno-Park to Eagle Meadows. Once the snow is removed crews will also unclog drains while also repairing or replacing damaged signage and removing downed trees. As the snow melts on the roadsides, workers will begin clearing vegetation along ditches to prevent flooding due to spring runoff.

Finally, all pavement repairs will be made including sealing cracks and re-stripping the roadway. With that accomplished, the gates will swing open for traffic to use these passes through the busy summer and fall travel seasons.

The latest road conditions can be found on the mymotherlode.com home page by clicking on the traffic tab.