labor day

Due to heavy traffic expected in Lake Tahoe for the Labor Day weekend, Caltrans will suspend roadwork for the holiday, but there will be big changes in their work schedule starting Tuesday, September 4.

In South Lake Tahoe, roadwork on U.S. Highway 50 from Winnemucca Avenue to Silver Dollar Avenue will be suspended starting Friday, August 31 at 8:00 a.m. and will resume on Tuesday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m.

Although Caltrans construction is not happening during Labor Day weekend, there will be heavy traffic and work zones will still be set up. Please "Be Work Zone Alert."

The California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Valley Division and Golden Gate Divisions, having jurisdiction over the Sacramento regions and San Francisco Bay Area, are partnering with the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) to participate in an “I-80 Challenge.”

This effort aims to reduce distracted and reckless driving along the 615 miles of Interstate 80 from San Francisco, Calif. to the Nevada/Utah Stateline from Monday, August 27 – Labor Day, September 3, 2018, by enhancing traffic safety, enforcement, and education along this section of the National Highway System.

Labor Day Lake Tahoe at the Heavenly Village will be a three day long celebration with a full weekend of family-friendly entertainment including a Classic Car Show & Shine, Midway Rides, Plein Air Artists, Caricature Artists, Balloon Art, Jugglers, Fortune Teller, Face Painter, Live Music and a 5K Run.

Two stages will also be set up for music all three days.

Summertime in Lake Tahoe brings not only time on the beach and trails, but special events in and around South Lake Tahoe.

Some of this weekend's events:

Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty at Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre. Don't miss the highly acclaimed one woman show - Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat and Betty. Enjoy this production that humanizes the political scene with a story both whimsical and deeply moving - a behind-the-scenes look at Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford. Share the journey of each as she deals with the fishbowl of First Ladydom.

Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe announced today that they once again have a paid valet and self-parking program this year, beginning on the first concert date of the summer, Saturday, June 16.

Parking rates will run $20 for self-parking and $25 for valet parking with both cash and credit cards accepted for payment, and will run this summer on days and nights during major special events and peak holiday periods at both Stateline, Nevada properties.

The three-year long, $56.9 million Caltrans project on a two-mile stretch of Highway 50 from the Y to the Trout Creek Bridge is set to resume next week in South Lake Tahoe.

Scope of work in 2018 is from Winnemucca Avenue to Silver Dollar Avenue as well as repaving the “Y” intersection. Work is scheduled to begin Monday, April 30 at 6:00 a.m. from Winnemucca Avenue working east. The work schedule for May will be from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

This opinion piece has been updated.

The following is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) roadwork schedule for the Lake Tahoe area.

NOTE: Most traffic-interfering work will be limited through midnight Monday, September 4 due to the Labor Day holiday.

EMERGENCY PROJECT

U.S. Highway 50 (El Dorado County): The highway is reduced to one lane in each direction at Bridal Veil Falls for slope and roadway repair work. Completion is expected by the end of the year.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

Tahoe Douglas Fire Department is holding their annual Labor Day Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, September 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Station 23 at 193 Elks Point Road.

Meet TDFD Chief Scott Baker and the firefighters, tour the station, play fire safety games, learn how to use an extinguisher, see bomb squad demonstrations and learn how to properly install a car seat.

Since its a pancake breakfast, they are also serving up breakfast! A $5 donation is suggested for adults and kids over 12, those under 12 are free.

Funds raised go to community causes such as youth scholarships.

Work on the $56 million Highway 50 project in South Lake Tahoe is suspended for the Labor Day weekend, but once the holiday traffic leaves drivers can expect longer delays when lane restrictions are increased.

Starting Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 12:01 a.m., contractor Security Paving Inc. may reduce the highway to one open lane iSn each direction around the clock until 11 a.m. on Fridays.

Beginning Sept. 10, work will be around the clock from midnight Sunday to 11 a.m. Friday each week, with weekends free of construction. Motorists can expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

When people eat at any one of the 31 Reno or Greater Sacramento area Chipotle locations on Labor Day (Monday, September 4), Chipotle will donate 50 percent of all proceeds to protect Lake Tahoe if the customer tells them they support "Keep Tahoe Blue."

Either show this promotion on your smartphone or tell the cashier you support Keep Tahoe Blue to make sure that 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

This promotion is from 10:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. September 4 only.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board on Wednesday approved an emergency permit for Caltrans to remove hazardous dying trees along its highways and rights of way in the Tahoe Basin.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a tree mortality emergency in October 2015 because of widespread tree die-offs after several years of severe drought. There are now an estimated 102 million dead trees in California, with the greatest tree mortality in the Southern Sierra Nevada.

With the cancellation of the 19-year long tradition of fireworks over Labor Day in South Lake Tahoe due to budget constraints, the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority and other local businesses have pulled together to present a full menu of things to do on the South Shore from a laser light show to concerts and a carnival.

In an effort to encourage visitors to the South Shore to stay over on Sunday night during the Labor Day weekend, the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority (LTVA) started a fireworks show in Lake Tahoe in 1998.

With a changing school year calendar and lack of Sunday night stays, the Labor Day fireworks show is no more.

"The lodging and tourism board (LTVA and Tahoe Douglas Visitor's Authority, TDVA) have had discussions for awhile about the Labor Day fireworks," said LTVA and TDVA Executive Director Carol Chaplin. "Lodging was finding their Sunday night reservations were soft."

The Shops at Heavenly Village will host free outdoor concerts every Friday and Saturday evening through Labor Day from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at their main stage.

June 23 - Madison Hudson
June 24 - Revival
June 30 - Brickhouse

July 1 - Reckless Envy
July 2 - TBA
July 7 - Musicole
July 8 - Hit Parade
July 14 - Left of Centre
July 15 - Steel Breeze
July 21 - Left of Centre
July 22 - Reckless Envy
July 28 - Heidi Incident
July 29 - Madison Hudson

August 4 - Left of Centre
August 5 - Revival
August 11 - Mark McKay
August 12 - Heidi Incident
August 18 - Popular Demand

Traffic restrictions are changing for Caltrans’ two water-quality improvement projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin after Memorial Day to better accommodate peak season traffic while continuing construction.

Work on both the $57 million South Lake Tahoe “Y” to Trout Creek Bridge project on U.S. Highway 50 and the $70 million State Highway 89 West Shore project won't resume until Tuesday night.

Without a boat since 2015, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) will ask City Council for $75,000 on Tuesday for the purchase of a used SAFE boat.

The former fire rescue boat, Marine 17, was taken off the lake (decommissioned) in 2015 after 15 years of service. Needed repairs amounted to more than the value of the boat. Since the SLTFR has borrowed Marine 2 which belongs to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

For the next three summers, Caltrans crews will be in town to work on their U.S. Highway 50 South Lake Tahoe Highway Improvement Project, and Caltrans spoke with locals Wednesday evening about what they could expect during the project which starts May 1, 2017 and should end by winter, 2019. This will be their last Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) task to collect and treat stormwater runoff which accomplishes several other goals as well.

$57 million will be spent in South Lake Tahoe to also:

Many drivers plan ahead when planning their travel along highways in interstates across the county. Want to miss rush hour? Don't hit that city in the morning and late afternoon. Mad dash to Santa Cruz on a warm Saturday? Leave early in the morning or go the night before to miss the backup of traffic.

Smooth travel over Highway 50 in the Sierra requires the same planning or one will get stuck in heavy traffic on Friday evenings heading to Lake Tahoe, or Sunday mornings leaving Lake Tahoe (or the day after a holiday).

Lake Tahoe visitors may notice wasps hovering around and experts say they're seeing more this year, than usual.

"It seems like it's the worst year that they've had up here in quite a few," says Doug Howard, Operations Manager for Tahoe Recreation, "It's been pretty much all over the basin, you know. I have six campgrounds that I run around here and everybody is having the same problem with the bees."

"There have been some reports of some people that have gotten stung up to 50 times and ended up in the hospital," says Howard, "but those are the very rare cases."

Weekend free bus rides on Blue Go routes 50 and 51 will wrap up over the Labor Day weekend (September 3-5).

Leave the holiday driving to someone else, and give your wallet a break while doing so.

Tahoe Transportation District has been giving the free rides on the two main routes to have fewer cars on the roads which leads to better air quality and less congestion.

To view Routes 50 and 51, visit their website: www.tahoetransportation.org.

The first phase of the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) project along State Route 28 from Sand Harbor to Incline Village is now 25 percent completed.

Part of the completion includes a “shoofly,” a temporary lane detour around the existing road to keep traffic flow of one lane in each direction at Tunnel Creek

Upon completion the project will:

Include three plus miles of shared-use path from the south end of Incline Village to Sand Harbor
Relocate and also organize shoulder-parking areas near Ponderosa Ranch and Tunnel Creek Café

Construction and maintenance work will cause day and night time traffic delays along a 45-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 50 between Camino and Echo Summit over the next three months, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced.

Crews will be setting up lane restrictions on the four-lane section of U.S. 50 in the Camino area and one-way traffic control on the two-lane stretch of highway over the summit. Motorists can expect up to 20-minute delays. These lane restrictions will continue through the end of November, weather permitting.

Magic Fusion at the Loft Theatre & Lounge. A perfect blend of intimate Magic & Comedy. (530) 523-8024. The Loft Theatre & Lounge at the Heavenly Village, 1021 Heavenly Village Way

Pope House Tour at the Tallac Historic Site - The Pope House Tour is the perfect way to see how the rich and famous lived while at Lake Tahoe, from the separate kitchen to the elegantly restored formal dining room. This docent guided tour takes approximately an hour and is filled with stories of early times. (530) 541-5227, Pope House at Tallac Historic Site, Heritage Way