Road work season comes to a close at Tahoe
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Snow now blankets the ground, marking the end of the road work season in Lake Tahoe and much was accomplished this summer and fall.
North Tahoe
Caltrans completed a rockfall project along SR-89 in Placer County just north of Pole Creek Road. The project replaced a failed mesh drapery system along the highway slope.
They also completed a drainage project in Kings Beach on SR-28 from Chipmunk Street to Beaver Street.
Truckee
In Truckee, work began on the I-80 rehabilitation and auxiliary lane project. Along with rehabilitating the shoulder and pavement, the project constructed a westbound auxiliary lane from the State Route 89 on-ramp to the Donner Pass Road off-ramp and eastbound acceleration lanes from the Donner Park Overcrossing on-ramp and the State Route 89 on-ramp. The $30.6 million was completed this fall.
Wildlife crossing repairs were made along SR-89 between Sage Hen Road and Dog Valley Road which included stabilizing embankments and repairing wildlife crossing fences.
Caltrans also installed new gravel-filled trenches with pipes (underdrains) to better drain area groundwater and prevent pooling on roadways on SR-267 from just north of Martis Peak Road to just north of Northstar Drive.
South Shore
Within South Lake Tahoe city limits, several pavement rehabilitation, mill and overlay paving projects were completed, including 15th St. (Emerald Bay Road to Venice Drive), Tahoe Keys (Lake Tahoe Blvd to Venice Drive), Washington Ave (Tahoe Keys Blvd to 3rd Street) and 3rd Street (Washington Ave to Lake Tahoe Blvd).
Construction of the new Lake Tahoe Blvd Class 1 Bike Trail (Viking Road to South Y) was also completed. The $5.3 million project includes the bike trail, ADA compliant ramps, and pathway lighting along the 0.6 mile section of Lake Tahoe Blvd.
After several years of intensive bridge work, a Caltrans District 3 representative said this season was relatively quiet for them. The district’s main focus in the basin was repair and rehabilitation work in the Caldor Fire burn scar from Echo Summit to Sierra-At-Tahoe.
Work included debris and hazardous tree removal, rockfall mitigation, replacing damaged culverts, installing catch basins and/or debris flow protection measures, replacing guardrail, replacing damaged pavement, striping, and markers, installing erosion control measures, traffic control, and incidental work.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the Round Hill Pines Resort Highway Intersection Improvement Project has been completed. The project moved the entrance about 0.2 miles north from the existing access road on U.S. Highway 50. It also provides visitors with a median left turn and acceleration lane along northbound US 50.
Nevada side
Along the Nevada side of the basin, work continued on State Routes 28 and 431.
According to a Nevada Department of Transportation press release, “in 2021, NDOT launched a multi-year project to repave and enhance nearly 15 miles of State Routes 28 and 431 centered around Incline Village. The approximately $35 million, multi-year project is repaving and improving the mountainous highways which were last fully reconstructed nearly 15 years ago, enhancing safety and mobility for the as many as 10,000 drivers who travel the highways every day.”
Thus far, crews have repaved a depth of three to four inches of asphalt along eight miles of Mt. Rose Highway between the summit and the Tahoe Meadows/Tahoe Rim trailhead area and installed new detention ponds at SR-28 and Marlette Creek and drainage improvements at the Mt Rose Highway scenic overlook, which will enhance drainage and stormwater quality.
They’ve also installed nearly 80,000 linear feet of Intelligent traffic systems conduit line, which could also allow easier installation of future electrical and communications including fiber optic cables, and is part of a broader plan to make high-speed internet more accessible throughout Nevada.
Finally, they made substantial progress on completing construction to reinforce an aging timber retaining wall on SR-28 approximately a half mile north of Memorial Point lookout.
Work to repave Mt. Rose Highway from the Meadows toward the SR-28 Incline Village roundabout wrapped up at the end of September.
According to NDOT, “next year, lane reductions and permanent roadside parking restrictions will take place as NDOT installs a traffic signal and improves U.S. 50 near Warrior Way on Lake Tahoe’s east shore.”
On-highway parking from north of Warrior Way to the Zephyr Cove Resort entrance will also be permanently removed for safety. NDOT is working with U.S. 50 corridor partners to evaluate potential additional U.S. 50 parking opportunities.
“Within the coming five years, NDOT also plans to repave and improve approximately 13 miles of U.S. 50 between Stateline and Spooner Summit for a smoother and safer drive. Through the U.S. 50 Corridor Management Plan, NDOT is also gathering public feedback to define future traffic safety and mobility improvements on U.S. 50 between Spooner Summit and the Nevada-California border at Stateline. http://www.dot.nv.gov/us50eastshore,” a press release stated.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.