State Route 89 recreation plan to address traffic, experiences and parking

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Giving people a positive experience as they travel along the west shore of Lake Tahoe will require removing congestion from the roadway is one of the goals of the State Route 89 Recreation Corridor Management Plan.

A collaboration of 17 agencies and organizations have been working on the plan which covers the stretch from 15th street in South Lake Tahoe to the Placer County line at Sugar Pine Point State Park. Along the plan area are popular areas to view scenery, hike, bike and visit beaches along a 12 mile stretch of undeveloped shoreline.

During the recent Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) meeting a briefing on the plan's working group progress was presented by their Sustainability Program Coordinator Devin Middlebrook.

Traveling to the west shore along this stretch of road is on the to-do list of many, including Emerald Bay, Vikingsholm Castle, Camp Richardson, Eagle Falls and the pathway to epic trails around the lake.

These "bucket list" trips have led to traffic and congestion and the working group is gathering information to make changes to not only manage traffic but also increase safety, address environmental concerns and improve guest experiences and the economic impact they have on the region.

Since summer 2018, the working group has been collecting data, conduction traffic counts, evaluating lengths of time people are parking, and holding stakeholder meetings.

The final plan will including parking management, transit, hiking path improvements, and improved year-round access.

One of the partners on the SR89 plan is ORCA Consulting, experts in "guestology" with experience at Disneyland, the Statue of Liberty, Beijing Olympics, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Freedom Park in South Africa. They manage the visitor outcome by identifying and defining issues and develop cost-effective solutions to ensure a comfortable and positive experience for visitors.

During Middlebrook's presentation he said they have brought people together that may think differently about solutions and provided new ideas, such as ORCA.

Once the management plan is created, hopefully by fall of 2019, the different agencies involved along the route will use it as they move forward in making changes and creating new projects, and seek funding to accomplish their goals.

USFS will use the corridor plan when they see opportunity to make changes, take a look at the recreation opportunities in corridor and not only transportation issues. They will use the plan as a tool as they do project planning, will take the vision and move into a collaborative result with all agencies.

For Tahoe Transportation District, their connection strategy gets agreement between land owners and agencies to provide a framework for long-term plans.

Middlebrook said they have found a lot of commitment to address issues and better manage visitor use, look to relocate roadside parking, and possible use of reservation systems for sustainable recreation for both those who live in the Tahoe Basin and those who are visiting.

The group will hold more meetings and conduct outreach over the next few months as they aim to have the final plan to TRPA by September for approval. This will complete the plans on highway segments around the lake on both the Nevada and California sides.

"I think this is exciting," said Jim Lawrence, the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources representative to TRPA. "The quality of life and quality of guest experience will be improved with new corridor. I am encouraging the group to be bold, don't let timeline to drive final product...its important work."

Funding for projects along the corridor could come from different sources including the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.