TRUCKEE, Calif. — Around the Truckee/Tahoe basin, almost two things are certain once Labor Day passes — the shoulder season begins, and so to does another round of route-delaying construction.

On Tuesday, a slew of projects began in the area, and perhaps the most notable involves pedestrian improvements and shoulder repaving inside the Mousehole undercrossing on Highway 89.

The project began Tuesday, and was made public the same day by Caltrans. Deanna Shoopman, a Caltrans spokeswoman, said the project, when finished, will include pedestrian flashing beacons, signs, street lights and pedestrian push button lights inside the tunnel.

“Crews will be working 24 hours a day until the project is finished,” Shoopman said in a Tuesday interview.

The longest delays, she said, will be during peak traffic hours starting with morning commuters at 8 a.m., followed by heavy congestion when students are released from schools from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

“The one-way traffic controls will be like a stop light on either side of the entrance,” she said. “It should work out really well that way. The congestion won't be too bad.”

In the Tuesday announcement, Caltrans said the $245,000 project awarded to Koch Excavating, Inc. from Penn Valley, Calif., will increase motorist safety.

Previous work was performed last May when Caltrans repaired extensive pavement damage by grinding the pavement down by a foot and replacing it with concrete. At the time, Truckee Mayor Carolyn Wallace Dee worked with Caltrans to get emergency funding for the $200,000 project.

Notwithstanding the current work, Dan Wilkins, Truckee's director of public works and engineering, said in a former Sierra Sun article the ultimate goal is to create a separate pedestrian tunnel and planning is ongoing.

$75,000 for Donner Pass Road repaving

At a Truckee Town Council Sept. 2, members amended the Donner Pass Road Rehabilitation Project, a project to repave much of the roadway, by allocating an additional $75,000 to be given to Truckee contractor Advanced Asphalt to add repaving work between Spring Street and the McIver Crossing roundabout.

Todd Landry, a senior engineer with the town of Truckee, said the section could be included as part of Donner Pass Road's rehabilitation project, which started Tuesday from Cold Stream Road eastward to the intersection of Bridge Street in downtown.

Landry said he expects most of the daytime delays to come in the early part of the project as crews work on utilities, concrete and drainage work. On Sept. 20, Landry said repaving will start at night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Funding for the nearly $1.9 million project is coming from the town's housing and sales tax revenue, allocated for the town roadway and maintenance needs.

Tahoe City, Highway 267

Basinwide, Shoopman said Caltrans anticipates all road construction to be completed on or before Oct. 15.

She said a number of repaving and water improvement projects from Tahoe City to Tahoma will be completed by Oct. 15.

On Highway 267, a water line replacement project that began Tuesday near the Highway 28 intersection will be completed as early as Sept. 24, with the remaining work to be finished in the daytime hours in consideration of nearby residents, Shoopman said.

“We're trying to get away from the evening work because it's made it hard to sleep for a lot of individuals,” she said.