Highway 140 leading to Yosemite National Park reopens

The California Department of Transportation has reopened a popular stretch of road leading to Yosemite National Park, according to a news release.

Caltrans said it has reopened a 17-mile stretch of Highway 140 from Bear Creek near Midpines, to Foresta Road in El Portal, about four miles west of Yosemite National Park.

The road was reopened at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday after a preemptive closure that lasted seven hours in the Ferguson Fire burn scar area.

The road was closed at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday for public safety reasons, due to an ongoing storm that impacted the roadway, according to a Caltrans news release.

Storm conditions created risks for the stretch of road, including movement of debris, rocks onto the roadway and mudslides.

Caltrans said crews removed more than 150 cubic yards of debris flow material and one oak tree from the roadway. No major mudslides were reported.