Jont Turner from Sierra Elevation posted this on Facebook today.
Quote:

Whitney Portal Road Closure Notice

Attention all Mt Whitney Portal Users!!!
Road closure update

FS and Inyo County Road Crews will have the Portal Rd Gate locked starting Monday April 4th through April 11th for rock demo & removal.

All traffic will need to be via foot along the portal rec trail not the road.

Vehicles left in the portal Monday morning may be stuck there until the 11th.

Call us or the Lone Pine Interagency Office


So... I called Inyo County road dept, and they had not been notified. Inyo N.F. has not changed their notices yet. Hat Creek Construction has not changed their "weekly" notice dated March 3 yet. I called the Interagency Visitor Center (where people pick up permits), and they are working on getting more info out. The official I spoke to said the "gate would be locked and the construction company flaggers will also be out there."

Here's what Kurt W has reported:
Quote:
Starting the week of 4/4, they will complete the rock scaling. Scaling is where they pull down potentially unstable rocks from a slope in a controlled environment. It is a relatively dangerous operation and therefore they will have a flagger at the road closure to prevent vehicles from entering that section of road. Completing this operation while the road is still closed will reduce the need for the extended 3 hour closures later in the project.


March 31 on twitter, @MtWhitneyInfo:
Quote:
Starting April 4th, a flagger at the Whitney Portal Road winter road closure will prevent vehicles from entering that section of road.


And from Inyo N.F.
Forest Service Engineering Department reports that people should NOT ignore the road closed sign, as they are indeed doing very hazardous work.

Scaling is due to start Monday, April 4th and it is possible they may need to go longer than April 11 to complete the work. Scaling is the removal of boulders and rock fall hazard uphill of the road bed, ie lots of large rocks falling onto the road and being cleared away

if they can complete this phase of work while the road is still under winter closure, we may have fewer long closures later in the season.

I'll post more updates when I see anything.

Last edited by Steve C; 03/31/16 11:55 AM.