2019 to be major road construction year in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Just as road construction is wrapping up for the second phase of the "Y" to Trout Creek Bridge project in South Lake Tahoe, plans were unveiled for the next building season.

Caltrans Project Manager Clark Peri presented an outline of three of their projects on the South Shore during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

"Y" to Trout Creek Bridge

The second year of this three-year, $56M water quality project to improve the clarity of Lake Tahoe and improve safety will be ending in the next few weeks. A new traffic light on Lodi Avenue and Lake Tahoe Boulevard will be installed around October 10. This new light was needed to synchronize the six traffic lights from the "Y" to Al Tahoe Blvd. That traffic flow synchronization will be after the 2019 building season.

Also completed in October 2018 will be sidewalk and driveway paving, completion of the roadway paving and begin the operation of the Delaware Sand Filter operation on River Avenue and Lake Tahoe Blvd.

In 2019 crews will be working on the final stretch to the Trout Creek Bridge. Curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be installed, the roadway will be replaced with new paving, drainage inlets will be installed and the Sierra Boulevard intersection will be improved with two turn lanes, new crosswalks and other safety features.

In 2020 there may be some minor follow-up work needed.

Echo Summit Sidehill Viaduct Replacement Project

The aging viaduct on Echo Summit will be replaced as it is experiencing severe deck cracking, extensive rust in the reinforcing steel and concrete and spalling are cracking. The $14M project is planned to start April/May 2019 and end November 2020.

In 2019 crews will do substructure work from April to October. This will require one-way traffic control Mondays through Friday mornings June 15 to Labor Day, and seven days-a-week the rest of the time.

In 2020 there will be a full lane closure for 14 days sometime between April and June 15. The rest of the time, and Labor Day through October 15, there will be one-way traffic control. During the summer there will be one-way traffic control Mondays through Friday mornings.

During the 14-day closure locals will be able to get a special permit and use Johnson Pass Road. In 2020 these passes will be available at the Caltrans yard in Meyers will local identification and other requirements.

Meyers Intersection Improvement Project

Conversion of the existing T-intersection of US 50 and SR 89S into a three-leg roundabout will be a project planned to start and end in 2019. Caltrans said the $6.9M project is to improve safety at this intersection by reducing the number
and/or severity of collisions by calming traffic.

Construction is targeted to start in May 2019 and end in November 2019. No roads are planned to be closed during this time but there will be traffic shifts and reduced speed when needed.

Work will be within the roadway at night due to lower traffic volumes. During the day, work is planned outside of the roadway.

Caltrans will be on the South Shore in Spring to hold public pre-construction meetings (date to be announced) and they will also have advertising and traffic alerts issued during construction.

There has been a lot of local controversy on this roundabout.

Caltrans is looking into adding lighting at three or four non-signalized intersections in South Lake Tahoe that are not meeting lighting guidelines for safety. Peri said they are gathering info on new highway lighting project.

Mayor Pro Tem Tom Davis has been asking for sidewalk lighting on Highway 50 much as was added to Pioneer Trail. June’s fatality of a bicyclist got the attention of the Caltrans director and he is now involved.

Besides the Caltrans projects, the City is building a new Sierra Boulevard that will have traffic calming reduction in width with sidewalk, parking spaces, bike lanes and mixed-use bike trail with lighting. That project is planned for the whole 2019 building season.