Motorists reminded of lane changes in Caltrans work in Lake Tahoe

Motorists can expect longer delays on the Highway 50 project in South Lake Tahoe starting at midnight tonight as increased lane restrictions go into place for the rest of the construction season.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday, and around the clock until 11:00 a.m. Friday each week, Highway 50 (Lake Tahoe Boulevard) will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Dunlap Drive to Winnemucca Avenue to accommodate grinding and paving operations. Motorists can expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

Expect these lane restrictions to be in place until Friday, October 13.

Construction on the $56 million water-quality improvement project is taking place from the “Y” intersection with State Highway 89 to Winnemucca Avenue this season, which is the first of three phases. The project will eventually extend to Trout Creek, covering two miles of the highway with new drainage filtration systems, curbs and gutters, new sidewalks, a wider highway to include 6-foot shoulders on each side, and a new roadway surface. Completion is expected in the fall of 2019.

The project is part of Caltrans’ commitment to the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) to help protect Lake Tahoe’s world-famous clarity by filtering stormwater runoff of pollutants before it enters the lake. It will be the last of 22 EIP projects Caltrans has built on state highways all around the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Also, up on the North Shore, a section of State Highway 89 from Squaw Valley to Truckee will be getting a new surface with grinding and paving work, also beginning tonight. Motorists can expect delays of up to 20 minutes when the work starts Sunday, September 10 at 8:00 p.m., and goes around the clock until noon Friday. All the work is expected to be complete by the end of the construction season next month.