Page:Wawona Road (HAER No. CA-148) written historical and descriptive data.pdf/17

 The remaining work on the Wawona Road, including a branch section between Wawona and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, was complete by the end of 1933. This section traversed an 8,765-acre addition to the park made the previous year. The Wawona Basin addition not only brought in a significant forest buffer to help protect the Mariposa Grove, but also gave the park room for the development of new campgrounds and other services.89

When first constructed, the road was not paved, but rather graded then covered with a dust-proofing 4" penetration oil coat.90 Following this work, the Granite Construction Company prepared a crushed rock base for later surfacing; this base course was completed on 21 October 1933, and paving ensued.91 Typical cross sections of the new road were 22' wide with 1' paved shoulders on either side. Where the old road was used for routing, a 24' wide mixed base was laid directly on the existing surface, then covered with a 2" hot bituminous concrete pavement. The entire section was then sealed with a coat of emulsified asphalt. On superelevated sections or slopes, an emulsified asphalt tack coat was laid on the old road, and hot bituminous concrete curbs were placed on the downhill side; these were backfilled with existing dike material where available. A counters loping paved waterway, varying from 1'-6' in width, was installed on the upslope side. Turnouts were also constructed, and were from 12'-15' wide.

Construction of had necessitated many roadside cuts and much grading work which had adversely impacted the landscape. To offset the damage, Superintendent Thomson issued instructions for a replanting program; this project was carried out under the direction of Dr. F. E. Clements, ecologist for the Carnegie Institution. The project began with a survey and classification of plants along the road, and experimental plantings were set out in 1932. Cuts that were too steep for replanting were graded down further to a maximum 2:1 slope. Runoff trenches were cut along the face of long or very steep slopes, and terraces were sometimes cut along the contours. Soil pockets, either natural or man-made, were planted. The other areas were then seeded with plants. Many native plants reestablished themselves on the slopes; in other cases, plantings indigenous to the park were used. The seeds were collected by Emergency Conservation Work personnel, and the planting work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Among the wildflowers and plants used were lupine, penstemon, Yosemite strawflower, cliff asters, farewell-to-spring, pussy paws, Indian harp, yellow pea, shield plant, candle plant, creeping locust and ceanothus. Some of the shrubs used included thimble berry, blue elderberry, manzanita, woodbine, yerba santa, bear clover and chinquapin. The old roadbed was obliterated, beginning in November 1932.92

Park planners were so concerned about the new road's appearance that they ordered CCC workers to paint the rock cuts and ledges around the Wawona Tunnel in an effort to conceal the newly exposed rock surfaces. The cuts, as well as the tunnel's concrete west portal, were sprayed with a mixture of lamp black, mineral spirits and linseed oil.93

The new $2 million Wawona Road was favorably received. The San Francisco Chronicle expressed admiration for the new route, declaring "Motoring to the Yosemite Valley has become a new and thrilling experience."94 The old Wawona Road remained open from Bridalveil Fall to Inspiration Point until it was heavily damaged by the flood of 1937, at which point it became a pack trail.95

The Mariposa Grove Road was paved in 1933 to allow for snow removal during winter, opening the grove as a year-round attraction. The work began on October 9, using Public Works Administration funds. The Granite Construction Company of Watsonville, California provided rock for the road base from its crusher, which was located near Wawona in the bed of the South Fork of the