🚧 Traffic Alert: Major Road Work in Inyo & Mono Counties Starting May 12, 2025 — What Drivers Need to Know

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

Introduction: The Desert Just Got Trickier

If you’re hauling through Inyo or Mono Counties in California this week, buckle up — not for speed, but for slowdowns. CalTrans District 9 just issued a week-long traffic advisory for the area starting May 12, 2025, and if you think it’s just a couple of orange cones, think again.

From flagging operations to lane closures to maintenance on key highways, this one’s going to hit truckers, RV warriors, and local commuters alike. And when you’re climbing grades or navigating curves out in the California high desert, a little delay turns into a long day real fast.

Let’s break down exactly where, what, and how this impacts the trucking community — so you don’t find yourself white-knuckling it through a surprise single-lane detour.

Key Points: What’s Actually Happening?

📍 Where? Throughout Inyo and Mono Counties, impacting stretches of:

U.S. Route 395 (main artery for North-South traffic on the East side of the Sierra)

State Route 168, heading east from Bishop

SR 203, a key route toward Mammoth Lakes

📅 When? Starting Monday, May 12, 2025, and running through at least May 18, with some projects possibly extending beyond that depending on weather and crew progress.

🛠️ What kind of work?

Road resurfacing and crack sealing

Bridge maintenance

Vegetation management (cutting back overgrowth, which can close shoulders and even slow two-lane routes)

Utility work with flagging operations (meaning: one lane at a time, long wait times)

🚦 When are the closures active? Most closures and delays will happen during daytime hours, roughly 6 AM to 6 PM, but some may run longer — especially if work falls behind.

Why This Matters to Truckers (and Why It’s Not Just a Local Problem)

These aren’t your average sleepy desert roads. If you’ve driven U.S. 395, you know it’s a major freight and supply corridor. It connects Southern California to Nevada, Eastern Oregon, and even acts as a relief route when I-5 or I-15 is jammed.

And with limited alternative routes, when a lane goes down or a road is closed, it can mean:

Delays that wreck your logbook

Increased fuel costs from reroutes

More risk of tickets or stress from rushing to make up time

This hits owner-operators and small fleet guys hardest, especially if you’re on tight delivery windows or operating on paper-thin margins.

Multiple Perspectives: What Folks on the

Ground Are Saying

🚛 Truckers:
“Flagging ops on 395 again? Great. There goes my drop time.”
That’s the word from drivers heading north out of Mojave or Bishop. With tight elevation climbs and limited turnouts, delays create stack-ups behind flag crews that can take 30–60 minutes to clear.

👷 CalTrans:
They’re doing necessary work — nobody denies that. But rural districts like District 9 often have smaller crews, older equipment, and bigger zones to cover. Translation? Projects move slower and stretch longer than expected.

🧭 Locals & RV Travelers:
It’s also tourist season on the Eastern Sierra. Mammoth, Lone Pine, and Bishop all see increased traffic in May. RVs + cones + trucks = chaos, especially when the flaggers are trying to control one-lane flow through narrow canyon passes.

Industry Response: Smart Carriers Are Already Moving

Good companies don’t wait until a driver’s stuck — they prep in advance. Here’s what some of the pros are doing:

Pre-routing around heavy work zones when possible using apps like Trucker Path

Notifying clients ahead of time about potential delays

Encouraging drivers to roll early mornings or late evenings to avoid active flagging zones

Pairing up team drivers to increase flexibility and avoid running out of hours mid-delay

And yes — some have already called dispatch to say, “Don’t send me up 395 this week unless you absolutely have to.”

Bottom Line: Be Proactive or Get Parked

The week of May 12 is going to be slow-moving in the Inyo-Mono zone. And if you’re not prepared, it could cost you:

Lost delivery time

Burned drive hours

Stress from reroutes and jammed shoulders

Late penalties from receivers who didn’t read the traffic advisory

This is why planning matters, and why staying updated through official advisories and trucker networks (CBs, WhatsApp groups, load boards, etc.) is the difference between a smooth week and a miserable one.

Call to Action: Stay Ahead, Not Behind

👉 If you're heading through California's eastern corridor, prep for the slowdown.
👉 Use live map tools, driver groups, and apps to monitor flagging and closures in real time.
👉 And hey — if you're tired of DOT and weather hijacking your income, it's time to start planning for something better.

👉 Learn how to build a second stream of income at RetireFromTrucking.com
👉 For survival tips, truck hacks, and honest road talk, go to LifeAsATrucker.com