Inyo County California

Inyo County has created and made available to the public an online tool to help show the scope and severity of damages to Whitney Portal Road, and to provide details and updates on what are sure to be exhaustive repair efforts over the next several months.

Whitney Portal Road is heavily traveled by residents as well as visitors seeking access to the various recreational opportunities west of Lone Pine – not the least of which is Mt. Whitney itself. The route was also among the hardest hit this past year by multiple, record-breaking weather, including atmospheric river events in January and March, flooding from unprecedented spring runoff levels, and Tropical Storm Hilary in August. The latter storm dumped more than a year’s worth of precipitation throughout the county over a 12-hour period – causing upwards of $10 million in damages to Whitney Portal Road alone.

Extensive repair efforts are expected to start soon. The Board of Supervisors at its October 10 meeting approved an offer from the Federal Highway Administration Central Federal Lands (CFL) Highway Division to take the helm of the repair project, noting that CFL has the resources that Inyo County does not to help streamline the work and ensure resiliency in the design.

Information on the damage, suggested detours, and information about the projected timeline, can be found in the form of a new online resource that features photos, drone footage, maps, and more. It can also be accessed directly here: https://t.ly/tNZyS, as well as on the Inyo Office of Emergency Services’ Ready Inyo site (https://ready.inyocounty.us/).

The current target for reopening Whitney Portal Road is June 2024. The County is working to schedule public meetings in Lone Pine to keep residents apprised of the repair project. Dates, times, and locations will be announced soon.

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