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Caltrans says Ferguson rock‑shed design complete, construction funding secured; work expected to begin this fall
Summary
Caltrans project manager told the Mariposa Board the final work package for the Ferguson rock‑shed on State Route 140 is contract‑ready, fully funded through construction and expected to begin construction this fall; total project cost is roughly $400–450 million.
Caltrans told the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 that the final construction package for the long‑planned Ferguson rock‑shed on State Route 140 is contract‑ready and programmed for construction funding.
“Since we’ve met in February, we finished our plans and our specifications, and they’re contract ready,” said Corey Casey, acting office chief for Caltrans District 10 project management. Casey said Caltrans reached an agreed price with the prime contractor and secured construction funding at the California Transportation Commission in June.
Casey described the structure as a large, engineered “rock‑shed” designed to protect the highway from repeated massive slope failures. He said the current construction estimate is roughly in the $400‑million range for the structure phase and that, when earlier work packages and other costs are included, the full project cost is closer to $450 million.
Casey told the board the contract award process was in the final steps and that Caltrans expects to begin on‑site work in the fall, with “an early October” target for construction mobilization. He acknowledged the site’s geologic activity and the technical scale of the project, noting it includes tens of thousands of cubic yards of concrete, millions of pounds of rebar and hundreds of piles.
Caltrans said the agency completed a three‑community public outreach series — in Mariposa, Midpines and El Portal — and used local feedback to refine details including architectural treatments. The agency also plans to publish time‑lapse construction video and maintain a webcam because public viewing access around the canyon is limited.
Board members praised the project’s progress and asked for a future briefing with the detailed construction schedule and visual renderings of the shed and finishes. Several supervisors emphasized the long local impacts of the route closures that the shed is intended to prevent and thanked Caltrans for securing the construction funding.
No action was required from the board; Caltrans said the project was funded through construction and that award and mobilization steps were imminent.
