Planned Meyers roundabout project to get underway in April

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) plans to start work in April on their $4.1M project to convert the existing T-intersection at US50 and SR89 in Meyers into a three-leg roundabout.

Federal funds will be used to create what transportation officials say is a safety project by reducing the number and/or severity of collisions at the intersection. At this intersection there were 16 accidents on the Highway 50 side, and four accidents on the Highway 89 side from 2008 to 2013. There were no fatalities in those accidents.

Construction on the project was originally planned to be two years and start last fall but they put off the beginning date until this spring and made it a one-year project. Completion is planned for Fall 2019.

Some of the major elements of the three-legged roundabout include:
 An Inscribed Circle Diameter of 135 feet
 A single lane for all three legs, plus a bypass lane for the westbound US 50 traffic
 The three legs will have Chicanes; the purpose of a Chicane is to narrow and curve the roadway slightly to slow traffic speeds
 A 15 foot wide truck apron and a 19 foot wide travel lane.
 The barrier between the roundabout and the bypass lane will be a maximum of 15 feet; just north of the bypass lane the shoulder will be approximately eight feet
 A Pedestrian/bicycle path connecting to the existing Class 1 shared-use trail (Pat Lowe Memorial Bike Trail) and a proposed Class 1 shared-use trail in the eastbound direction of US 50

Aesthetic elements will be included in the project design. The areas within the splitter islands and separation between the circulatory roadway and the bypass lane will be hardscape with a colored and stamped asphalt concrete or a similar material. The truck apron will consist of colored and stamped concrete or similar material which will be different from, but complementary to, the textured pavement in the splitter islands and bypass lane. The central island will be contour graded with an ultimate height of approximately six feet above the circularity roadway. The island will be landscaped with a mixture of native trees, shrubs, and grasses found within the immediate project vicinity. Additionally, inert materials and groundcovers within the roundabout will include a mixture of boulders, river cobbles, and wood mulch. The project will not impact the existing large pine tree southwest of the existing intersection and is to remain. Additional overhead lighting will be added to the existing lighting at the intersection.

Also, the existing changeable message sign and accompanying equipment in the
westbound direction of US 50 will be relocated due to the construction of the proposed roundabout bypass lane. The existing wood fencing will be relocated and reconstructed to provide room for the roundabout.

There have been a few public workshops on the project since 2016 to both explain the roundabout and hear area resident's concerns. Many in attendance expressed their concerns for the roundabout in an area that already sees over 9,000 cars a day pass through on a busy summer day and in a major traffic jam zone during chain controls.