Major highway project coming in 2017 to South Lake Tahoe

City Councilwoman JoAnn Conner and just one member of the public showed up at the South Lake Tahoe council chambers on Wednesday as Caltrans unveiled their $57 million U.S. Highway 50 Improvement Project. This three year project will have major impacts on businesses and travel from the "Y" to Trout Creek Bridge starting in 2017 so Caltrans officials at the presentation expected more involvement from the community.

The goal of the project, which is slated to start May 1, 2017, is to collect and treat storm water runoff as part of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Project (EIP). It will take three building seasons to complete.

What is planned during the project:

- The road will be widened to provide 6-foot shoulders on each side for Class II bike lanes.

- Bus pullout areas so they will be off the roadway when loading and unloading passengers.

- A new stop light at Highway 50 and Lodi Avenue.

- Reconstruction of curbs, gutters, driveways and sidewalks to be ADA compliant. There will be new sidewalk along the whole length of the project area.

- Repaving of the highway and improvement of the roadway cross slope.

- Upgrading intersection signals at 3rd Street, Tahoe Keys Blvd., Sierra Blvd. and Rubicon Trail/O'Malley Drive.

- The addition of a new right-turn lane at Tahoe Keys Blvd.

- Sierra Blvd will have three lanes at its intersection with Highway 50. The left lane with be for a left turn only, the middle lane will be able to go straight or left, and the right hand lane will be for right turns only. Highway 50 will have a designated left-turn lane at Sierra Blvd. to improve traffic operations. (South Tahoe Now suggested moving of the cross walk at this intersection to the east side since there will now be two lanes turning onto Highway 50 and pedestrians wouldn't be as safe).

- Synchronized traffic lights to enhance the flow of traffic from the "Y" to Al Tahoe Blvd.

- A water filtration system installed (much like the one at the old Alta Mira building location) in a vacant lot next to Trout Creek.

Caltrans plans around the clock work from May 1 to Memorial Day Weekend, and from Labor Day weekend of October 15. Crews will work Sunday night to Friday morning. There will always be one traffic lane open in each direction of travel.

During the Peak Season from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, work will occur at night Sunday through Friday morning. Holidays and weekends will have all lanes open.

This year, in summer of 2015, the same area will see another construction project, this time by Southwest Gas. Starting about June 1 they will be replacing small, and aging, gas lines. They are waiting for their final permit from Caltrans so the exact start date is unknown. Once Southwest Gas replaces the gas lines they will repave just over the disturbed area since the 2017 project will repave the whole roadway.