UPDATE Tuesday, Mar. 7 — Caltrans says there’s been a change of plans and there will be no tree removal this week and therefore no traffic control necessary north of Oakhurst.
OAKHURST — Hazard tree removal work will continue on Highway 41 near the north end of Oakhurst this week, Caltrans confirms. Drivers should expect some delays.
Tree removal will run Monday, Mar. 6 through Friday, Mar. 10, on Highway 41 north of Cedar Valley Road, around mile marker 42.4, where crews left off last Friday.
Caltrans spokesman Cory Burkarth says traffic control/road closures are in effect every day this week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Crews will be stopping traffic for 10-15 minutes at a time during this phase of the project. A 10-15 minute stoppage could mean some motorists will sit in traffic for up to 30-minutes, depending on traffic volume.
When trees are dropped in the hazard tree removal process, traffic is stopped for a limited time in both directions to accommodate the action.
While Burkarth says Caltrans regrets the inconvenience the activity will cause, it’s unavoidable on a project like this.
To play it safely, commuters may want to build an extra 30-minutes into their travel time for the duration of the project.
We will continue to note crew locations as information becomes available.
