Work to modernize two more sections of the historic Generals Highway in Sequoia National Park is expected to begin next year, potentially tying up traffic in the short term but ultimately providing a safer, smoother road.

Park Service officials signed off on the project earlier this month.

Parts of the winding mountain highway date to 1926 and were originally intended for wagons; the demands of modern vehicles are straining the road, portions of which are deteriorating. Work to bring the 40-mile road up to modern standards has been happening in small phases since 1993.

(click the map for details)

View Larger Map

Construction on an 8.5-mile stretch between Wolverton Road and the Little Baldy trailhead is set to start next year. Part of that project includes restoring Halstead Meadow by building a bridge to replace an embankment and culverts. Removing the embankment will revive the natural flow of water across the meadow once gullies created by the culverts are filled in.

Another piece of the project is 1.5 miles between Amphitheater Point and Deer Ridge.

Are you willing to potentially sit in traffic while crews do their work? That's what happened in the most recent segment of work. For about 18 months, wrapping up last fall, traffic on a 1.5-mile portion of the highway at and below Amphitheater Point was blocked during construction, except to allow one lane of traffic through at a time once per hour.

Let us know what you think, either with a comment or an e-mail.