Public meeting on Sand Harbor Bikeway and other SR28 projects

A project designed to help protect environmentally sensitive resources while providing safer, adequate access the area south of Lakeshore Drive along State Route 28 is the focus of an upcoming public meeting on Tuesday, April 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m at The Chateau at Incline Village. A question and answer period will be at 5:30 p.m.

The major project components for this 11-mile segment will be three plus miles of shared-use path from south end of Incline Village to Sand Harbor. the relocation and organizing of shoulder-parking to new parking areas near Ponderosa Ranch and Tunnel Creek Café and south of Rocky Pt. subdivision, an undercrossing of SR-28 near Tunnel Creek, safety improvements along the SR 28 corridor that include centerline rumble strips, emergency, operation and maintenance turnouts, and erosion control/water quality improvements. They will also be improving safety and circulation of the East Shore Express Transit on the highway and connecting visitors to their recreation destination.

Nevada Department of Transportation will be the lead agency on the project, and will have the Federal Highway Administration, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Tahoe Transportation District, U.S. Forest Service - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Nevada Division of State Parks, Nevada Division of State Lands, Washoe County, Incline Village General Improvement District, Carson City and Douglas Counties will all be partners.

The Environmental Assessment for the three miles of shared-use path and parking areas is currently being supplemented to reflect minor alignment changes, based on comments from the public for the bikeway, and will include a short review period. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016 with 2018 targeted for completion.

Major project milestones include:

Environmental process completed - 2016
Final Design completed - 2016 to 2017
Construction - 2016-2018

Changes are being implemented because of the over one million recreationists and 2.6 million-plus vehicles who utilize the two-lane, mountainside road per year. Use along the corridor continues to grow, with shoulder-parking projected to double in the next 20 years according to NDOT.

This project will be funded through federal, state, and local funding sources. It has been has been a collaborative effort and the funding mirrors the agencies' and public's endeavors to make SR 28 enjoyable for all users.