Decades-old Highway 140 project gains momentum near Yosemite

Crews are beginning work on the Ferguson Rock Shed Project along Highway 140 near the Merced River to improve access to Yosemite National Park. The project follows a 2006 rockslide that deposited nearly 800,000 tons of debris onto Highway 140, the final route from Mariposa into the park. Caltrans installed temporary bridges to restore traffic, but the bypass has remained in place for nearly two decades, limiting travel to one lane and slowing trips. The new plan replaces the temporary system with a permanent two-way roadway protected by a nearly 700-foot rock shed designed to shield drivers from future rockfalls. The structure will be one of only two rock sheds in California and is designed for larger-scale rockslide events.

"Excavators were seen scaling steep terrain above the Merced River on Tuesday as Caltrans advanced the Ferguson Rock Shed Project, a plan decades in the making."

"The project stems from a 2006 rockslide that sent nearly 800,000 tons of debris onto a portion of Highway 140, the final stretch leading from Mariposa into Yosemite. To restore access, Caltrans installed temporary bridges that rerouted traffic across the river. The bypass, meant as a short-term solution, has remained in place for nearly two decades, limiting traffic to one lane and slowing travel into the park."

"Now, crews are working to replace that system with a permanent two-way roadway protected by a nearly 700-foot rock shed, a structure designed to shield drivers from future rockfalls. "It's definitely like a project of a lifetime for an engineer. These are the projects you really want to work on," Casey said."

"The Ferguson rock shed will be one of only two in California, with the other located along Highway 1 in Big Sur. Officials say this structure is uniquely designed to withstand larger-scale rockslide events. "It's a very unique structure. I think a lot of rock sheds are around the world, they're designed for smaller rock fall events. But this one's actually designed for a large rock slide event," Casey said."

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