Arch Rock Bypass Pilot Project- What you need to know when traveling the El Portal Road
If you travel along the El Portal Road (Hwy 140) between Yosemite Valley and El Portal you may have noticed traffic cones and barricades being staged along the side of the road. This week we will be setting-up the Arch Rock Bypass in time for the approaching busy weekend. Want to know how this will affect you? Read below to find out!
This summer we will be piloting the Arch Rock Bypass on the El Portal Road (Hwy 140). The bypass is essentially a temporary traffic control operation that will allow authorized vehicles to travel up the outbound lane and “bypass” the line at the entrance station. This will be set up like a construction zone with signs warning travelers about a flagger / detour ahead, uniformed staff will be stationed at both ends of the bypass. The half-mile bypass will start at Little Windy Point on the west side and extend up El Portal Road to the east side of the Arch Rock Entrance. This will allow authorized vehicles to bypass up to 80 vehicles waiting at the entrance station.
If you travel El Portal Road, you may be able to use the bypass. We hope to operate the bypass every day a reservation is required, typically during morning commuting hours until mid-day, depending on length of the line at the entrance station and availability of staff.
What vehicles are authorized vehicles?
Government vehicles with I or G plates
Privately owned vehicles with an employee or resident sticker
Vehicles with an admin pass (e.g., contractors, vendors, Tribal members)
Who does the bypass help?
Initially the bypass will help employees, residents, vendors, tribal members, and other administrative vehicles avoid the long lines at the gates. Later in the season we hope to expand the use of the bypass to visitors that have already gone through the gate (checked in their reservation and paid the entrance fee) the previous day. This expansion to visitors will allow us to test new technology where vehicles are recognized automatically and “approved” to use the bypass lane.
What should I expect when driving toward Yosemite Valley?
Drive up El Portal Road as usual. When you reach the bypass point and it is operating, you will be diverted into the left (outbound) lane when it is safe if you are in an authorized vehicle. Traffic management staff will hold outbound traffic at Arch Rock Entrance, and you will go around the cars waiting in line. NEVER go into the outbound lane without being directed to do so by a uniformed flagger. Please drive slowly as you approach the bypass above Windy Point. The speed limit in the bypass area is 25 MPH and reduces down to 10 MPH when you pass by Arch Rock Entrance
What should I expect when I’m driving toward El Portal?
Travelers leaving the park on El Portal Road in the morning should expect up to a 10-minute delay when the bypass is operating. The bypass will stop mid-day, before most vehicles are leaving the park. As always, please slow down as you approach Arch Rock Entrance.
What happens when the line extends past the Little Windy Point bypass location?
As we have all seen, the lines can get pretty long and often extend past the start of the bypass location. When this happens, we may continue the bypass and authorized cars will have to wait in line until they get up to the bypass location. This is a pilot year to test the effectiveness of new technology, so we will use what we learn this year to improve future pilots.
What will this look like?
Temporary lane dividers (k-rail barricades and delineators) will be installed down the centerline from Arch Rock Entrance down to Little Windy Point. This will prevent vehicles waiting in the line from jumping over to the bypass lane. The barricades will be placed with gaps between them, linked together with breakable chain so that emergency vehicles and tow trucks can gain access to both lanes.
Why was Little Windy Point chosen as the bypass location?
Visitor and staff safety is the number one reason. El Portal Road between Little Windy Point and Arch Rock has only moderate curves and no blind corners. Rockfall history was reviewed and this segment of the El Portal Road has lower incidence of rockfall than the road further west. The El Portal Road between Little Windy Point and Arch Rock will be divided by a temporary barrier. Limiting the length of the divided segment will hopefully reduce stress on drivers who are uncomfortable driving on mountain roads.
What should I do when I arrive at the bypass from the El Portal side?
When instructed, drive up the bypass lane at no more than 25 mph, slowing down to 10 mph as you pass by Arch Rock Entrance, then yield and merge safely back into the regular traffic lane. If the bypass is unstaffed then keep to the right of the road dividers and continue up the normal inbound lane of traffic.
What about Emergency Vehicles responding / traveling through the area?
Emergency vehicles (marked vehicles with lightbars) should contact “Arch Rock Bypass” or “Little Windy Point Bypass” via radio on the Traffic Tactical channel. The bypass staff will flush traffic in the appropriate direction and advise the responding vehicle(s) when it is clear for them to pass through.