Decades-old Highway 140 project gains momentum near Yosemite

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. -- A long-awaited infrastructure project along Highway 140 is moving forward as crews begin work on a rock shed designed to improve access to Yosemite National Park.

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.

"We're really invested in this project. We have a lot of team members who have been a part of this project for a long time, and we're really excited to deliver this project to the local community," said Corey Casey, the project's manager.

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.

For the nearby community of Mariposa, the original rockslide had lasting impacts beyond transportation. Local leaders say the disruption reduced tourism traffic into town, which relies heavily on visitors headed to Yosemite.

"When we had the slide that happened, it was definitely a shutoff valve," said Jacob Hawley of the Mariposa Chamber of Commerce.

Hawley said the project could not only restore smoother access but also become an attraction in its own right.

"The aesthetics of what it looks like is just amazing. Like I said, I go to these meetings and I see what Caltrans is concepting here, and I think it's going tp really turn out well," he said.

Longtime residents also welcomed the investment.

"Everybody coming through here stops. There's a sign right up there that talks about the road conditions into the park. It's just perfect for navigation and for guests," said Bob Johns.

The site remains an active rockslide area, but Caltrans officials said monitoring equipment is in place to track conditions continuously.

The Ferguson Rock Shed Project is expected to be completed by 2030.

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