High Sierra Topix

It was a wild and wet winter of 2018-19, one that dropped loads of snow on highways in the Sierra Nevada. District 10 maintenance crews have been busy clearing the mountain passes, opening the door for tourists to visit the scenic spots.

We've removed the winter snow, cleared the debris, made necessary repairs and opened State Route 4 (SR-4)/Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway at noon today. Here's a quick video of our crew clearing the final feet of snow from the road.

Here's a photo from the very top of Sonora Pass that was taken by our counterparts at Caltrans District 9 this week... you can see more photos on their Facebook page.

District 9 manages the east side of Sonora Pass while the Caltrans, District 10 crew out of Long Barn manages the western slope.

Each spring crews from either side start the process to clear the snow from the route which is closed each winter due to the steep slopes and terrain that makes it impossible to keep open year 'round.

We're hoping to get the route open later today (Thursday, May 30, 2019) for the summer season. Stay tuned for updates on when our crews actually open the gates!

SSSdave wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 1:09 pm That will have bc skiers hitting the road this weekend