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Mariposa County had sued in an attempt to delay the starting date
By Karen McAllister
The Fresno Bee - October 2, 1998
Work began Thursday on El Portal Road, but hassles for Yosemite National Park
visitors were a bit less imposing than expected.
Two-way traffic on the road- state Highway 140 into the park -was allowed
rather than the anticipated one-way convoy and the road remained open longer
than planned, said park spokesman Scott Gediman.
Blasting and major construction won't begin until Oct. 12, so until then the
road is open throughout the night rather than closing at 10:30 p.m. as planned,
Gediman said. It also is expected to be open for two-way traffic until then,
he said.
For the next 10 days, workers will remove trees, get equipment set up and
survey the area, Gediman said. Mariposa County supervisors had opposed the
park's two-year construction plan and sued to have Thursday's starting date
postponed.
They wanted the park to stick with its original three-year plan, which would
have kept El Portal Road open during the summer. A lawyer for the county,
Justus C. Spillner, said local businesses stand to lose $320 million to $480
million during the course of the two-year construction.
But Monday, U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii ruled against the county
and allowed the construction to begin.
Steve Hayes, director of Mariposa County's Visitors Bureau, said it was too
early to tell how the road work was affecting business.
However, the construction did double business at the visitors center Thursday,
Hayes said.
Two hundred people had stopped in by mid-afternoon, seeking information about
when they could get into the park and what else they could see in the area,
he said.
Electronic signs in Merced and Mariposa alert drivers to E1 Portal Road's
closing times.
Still, Hayes said he wants to ensure that visitors are aware the park isn't
closed and that the road leading into it isn't closed around the clock.
Even during the hours the road is closed, Hayes said, visitors can drive quite
awhile along the Merced River and can still reach all lodging outside the
park.
Construction on a 71/2-mile stretch of the road will repair damage from the
January 1997 floods and widen and straighten the road to accommodate tour
buses and recreational vehicles.
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