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Sinkhole between Tahoe, Carson Valley forces closure of Kingsbury Grade

Record-Courier Staff Report
Nevada Department of Transportation staff will continue monitoring a section of Kingsbury Grade on the Carson Valley side that’s subsiding.
Record-Courier |

UPDATE: 7 a.m. WEDNESDAY: 

For traffic safety, the Nevada Department of Transportation temporarily closed a portion of Kingsbury Grade Tuesday following a sinkhole created by an eroding pipe beneath the road.

The road will remain closed from the State Route 206/Foothill Road junction in the Carson Valley to the summit. Kingsbury Grade will remain open in the Lake Tahoe area to residential and business traffic between U.S. 50 and Tramway Drive at the summit.



Alternative routes between the Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe are available through U.S. 50, State Route 431 and various routes in California.

State engineers have been closely monitoring and will be contracting for emergency repairs to the sinking area of the roadway, which developed over the past two weeks where a drainage pipe crosses underneath the road at mile marker 4.3, approximately 10 miles up the road on the Carson Valley side, spokeswoman Meg Ragoneses said.



As weather will play a factor, no timeframe for reopening is set, but the closure is anticipated to stay in place through the coming weeks.

The original story from Tuesday is below.


KINGSBURY, Nev. — State road workers are monitoring a section of Kingsbury Grade on the Carson Valley side that’s subsiding.

“Nevada Department of Transportation roadway maintenance staff have been monitoring it numerous times each day to ensure traffic safety and evaluate any changes to the roadway itself,” spokeswoman Meg Ragonese said Friday. “Safety is our top priority, and if we feel there are any immediate safety concerns to drivers, we will close this section of Kingsbury Grade for safety.”

The section of road is located 10 miles up the grade from Foothill Road where a culvert passes underneath.

Kingsbury is the main route between Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe. It is traveled by about 5,600 vehicles daily, Ragonese said.

Ragonese said the department is finalizing contract documents to bring in a contractor to make repairs to the roadway. Emergency repairs may take a few days to make.

“While the roadway remains open right now, we want motorists to know that there is the likelihood that the valley side of Kingsbury Grade will temporarily be closed as repairs are made in the next two weeks,” she said. “We will do all that we can to make sure that the repairs are completed as quickly and efficiently as possible so that traffic disruptions are kept to a minimum.”

Roadway signs will be posted and information will be available at nvroads.com or by dialing 511 or (775) 888-7000.

The state already has scheduled a project to invest approximately $5 million to enhance roadway drainage and erosion control on this lower section of Kingsbury Grade in 2019.


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