Yosemite park reopens popular route damaged by rockslide

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – A key road damaged in a rockslide at Yosemite National Park has reopened ahead of schedule.

Ranger Scott Gediman says more than 100 dump trucks hauled off rocks and debris after a huge chunk of a hillside came crashing down June 12. El Portal Road reopened Saturday.

The 4,000-ton (3,600-metric ton) rockslide blocked one of three popular routes into Yosemite, creating a commuting headache for hundreds of park employees and thousands of tourists who were forced to take detours.

Gediman says a 100-foot stretch of the road will be gravel, so motorists will have to slow down. The damaged road and a stone wall destroyed in the rockslide will be repaired later.