Lake Alpine, CA…From Caltrans District 10…A Wall Of Snow Greets Caltrans’ Crew As Season Clearing of Ebbetts Pass/State Route 4 Begins. Caltrans crews started clearing the Ebbetts Pass for the 2019 summer season and were met by a 15′ wall of snow they’ll have to cut through as they work their way up to the summit over the next 2 months. We managed to get up there just minutes before Equipment Operator II Eric Thomas made the first pass with the rotary blower and the crew is off and running.

Camp Connell Supervisor Mike Johnson estimates that there is 15′ of snow at the west Lake Alpine gate and once they start climbing above the Lake it will get deeper quick.

Operations will be from 6 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday. We ask, for the safety of the crew and the public, that no one enter behind the closure gate until the road is open.

Caltrans manages three trans-Sierra passes in the Central Sierra that are closed during winter and generally open in spring: Ebbetts Pass/SR-4 in Alpine County, Sonora Pass/SR-108 (Tuolumne County) and Monitor Pass/SR-89 (Alpine County).

Caltrans’ goal is to have all winter passes open to the public no later than the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Late season storms, snow accumulation and other factors can sometimes hinder this goal.

Opening passes in the spring involves more than just removing snow. Prior to opening the roadway for public use, vegetation is trimmed back, culverts are cleaned out, the pavement is repaired, cracks are sealed and the roadway is re-striped. The foremost guiding principle in these procedures is to maintain public and worker safety.