Page:Wawona Road (HAER No. CA-148) written historical and descriptive data.pdf/16

 By September 1930, the 7.67-mi1e section between the south entrance and Eleven Mile Station had been reconstructed and oiled with a dust-proofing material at a cost of $297,183. The next section north, 6.59 miles between Eleven Mile and Grouse Creek, was one-third complete, as was the 2.19-mile section between Grouse Creek and Turtleback Dome.81

By the time construction of the tunnel began 30 November 1930, the new right-of-way from Wawona was complete. A crew of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers from Camp Hoyle near Wawona had cleared the route from Camp Hoyle to Turtleback Dome, a distance of 17.25 miles.82 This project was one of a number in the park which utilized CCC workers in order to provide for employment relief during the Great Depression.

Welch & Murdock completed its work on the construction of the section of the Wawona Road between Eleven Mile Station and Grouse Creek on 10 June 1931, behind schedule. T. M. Roach of the Bureau of Public Roads suggested in his completion report that the contractor's tardiness was due to its moving equipment around too much before excavations were completed. Rock from blasted areas was often cast down slope, and had to be pulled back, causing additional delays. Total cost of this section of the project was $231,147.02, but Welch & Murdock was fined $2,700 for being overdue.83 The old section of road was obliterated at the end of the project. Contoules Construction completed its work on the Grouse Creek-Turtleback Dome section on 20 April.84

The Wawona Basin was added to the park in 1932, following a series of land and timber exchanges with adjoining forest land owners and the U.S. Forest Service for parts of the roads right-of-way and a protected buffer through much virgin timber.85 As a result, the old south entrance station was relocated from Alder Creek to Four Mile station, the intersection of the Wawona and Mariposa Grove roads.

Relocation of the road also necessitated construction of a new bridge to replace the wooden covered bridge over the South Fork of the Merced River at Wawona. The National Park Service awarded the contract for construction of the new structure [HAER No. CA-I04] to the George Pollock Company, which bid $31,191 for the project. Work began on 9 May 1931, the contractor using 21 men, a compressor, a truck and a hand-operated derrick. The bridge was completed in October at a total cost of $30,962.34. The 3-span steel I-beam bridge was originally faced with logs sections and had log guard rails.86 The use of the materials reflected the National Park Service's prevailing "rustic style" of architecture used on other contemporary park bridges and structures. This bridge remains in use, but has unfortunately its original rustic log trim has been removed.

The 4,230' Wawona Tunnel [HAER No. CA-105] was largely complete by January 1932, when Superintendent Thomson drove the first car through the new bore. Work on the portals, ventilation adits and other features took another year and a half, and the tunnel was formally dedicated on 10 June 1933. Total cost of the structure was $847,500.87

The new alignment through the tunnel passed below the (new) Inspiration Point, which had been the favorite view for stage riders and early motorists entering Yosemite Valley. In its place, a new parking area and vista point was developed at the east end of the tunnel; at this point, called "Discovery View," the visitor gains a first look at the majestic valley. The wayside offers a stunning view of the glorious panorama and is considered by many to be even more dramatic than that from Inspiration Point.88