Six New Bus Shelters Now Line Highway 50 Through South Lake Tahoe

You may have noticed the new bus shelters placed this summer along Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe. They were installed by the Tahoe Transportation District, operator of the local South Shore Transit System. The shelters won't only come with seating and protect those waiting for buses from the elements, they also have new bike racks and bear safe trash cans.

The six new locations on Highway 50 are in front of the South Tahoe Middle School, the Visitor's Center, the El Dorado County library, the El Dorado Center, at the corner of Ski Run Blvd and next to the El Dorado boat ramp/Lakeview Commons.

“This is part of the overall Lake Tahoe Basin transportation strategy to reduce dependency on the private automobile through integration of mass transit with walking, hiking and biking trails,” said Carl Hasty, district manager of the Tahoe Transportation District. “We are making great progress installing shelters as funding becomes available and saw an ideal opportunity to complement the recently completed Caltrans Water Quality Project this summer.”

Additional structures along Pioneer Trail are scheduled for installation prior to the winter season. The sites selected consist of existing stop locations recently enhanced as part of the City of South Lake Tahoe’s completed Pioneer Trail Pedestrian Improvement Project. Future locations will be dependent on available right of way, ridership demand, and in coordination with planned and future public and private construction projects.

Two of the new shelters are constructed of pre-fabricated aluminum frames and glass that match existing shelters on the South Shore while the remaining four are a new design and constructed of redwood timber and glass.

“We have always sought to develop a shelter design that is more reflective of Tahoe’s alpine setting while taking into account safety, visibility, aesthetics, maintenance, site constraints, and costs associated with construction and maintenance,” said Alfred Knotts, project manager. “We also included the installation of bike racks at these locations given many commuters bike to stops to only find the racks on the bus full.”

Each is wired for future installation of real-time passenger information technology to alert riders of the estimated arrival of the next bus. The structures were designed by TTD staff and Wood Rodgers, while construction was completed by Thomas Haen Company, of South Lake Tahoe. The total construction cost of the six units was approximately $212,000 including materials, labor, site work and installation.

Since assuming overall management of South Lake Tahoe transit in 2010, Tahoe Transportation District has increased ridership and fare box revenue while realizing efficiencies through adjusted hours of operation and revised routes to meet rider needs.

One of TTD’s primary goals is to reduce emissions and runoff into the Lake. A recent study showed that 70 percent of the pollutants impacting Lake Tahoe’s clarity come from transportation system and developed area run-off. TTD is a bi-state organization responsible for the implementation and management of transportation and transit projects and programs in the Tahoe Basin area.