roadway

Lake Tahoe’s two regional bi-state agencies for transportation, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), are inviting the public to attend interactive open houses this month to learn more about draft proposals to improve Tahoe’s highway corridors and share their ideas and input.

The open houses are Tuesday, May 17 at the North Tahoe Events Center in Kings Beach, and Tuesday, May 24 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel in South Lake Tahoe. Both are from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The opening dates for recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin have been announced, with the first ones set to e ready April 30, 2016.

Kiva Picnic area, Baldwin and Nevada beaches, Big Meadow trailhead, the McKinney Rubicon Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) area and Sawmill Pond, Eagle Falls, Chimney Beach and Secret Harbor parking areas will open April 30, 2016.

The Tallac Historic Site opens April 30, 2016, and will be staffed beginning Saturday, May 21, 2016 for Memorial Day weekend.

The Sandpit OHV area opens May 10, 2016.

Two massive boulders that fell onto State Route 4 at Ebbetts Pass in Alpine County have been removed by dynamite.

On March 26, crews from Caltrans District 10 responded to a report of boulders in the roadway, and there they found two boulders on the roadway, which has been closed for the winter season. One was estimated to be 300 tons and measured 16’ tall x 25’ wide x 18’ thick while the other was about 100 tons and 14’ tall x 20’ wide x 10’ thick.

Caltrans crews used approximately 30 pounds of explosive material to detonate the boulders which created about 700 yards of rock.

To prepare for the $57 million Caltrans project that will start in South Lake Tahoe in 2017, Southwest Gas is continuing their gas-line relocation work along Highway 50 from the "Y" to Al Tahoe Blvd this spring and summer.

The construction work will be completed during both daytime and nighttime hours and Southwest Gas officials told South Tahoe Now there will be no major bottlenecks that were prevalent last summer.

"There will be less lane restrictions and improved traffic flow," said Stephen Miller, of Southwest Gas Corporate Communications.

With the return of road improvement projects along Lake Tahoe and other Nevada roads, the Nevada Department of Transportation and Nevada Highway Patrol are reminding motorist to drive safely in road work zones, not only during this week which is National Work Zone Awareness Week, but all year long.

From July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015, there were 166 crashes in Washoe County work zones, resulting in 53 injuries and two fatalities. Statewide in Nevada, these numbers were significantly hire during the same periord: 1020 crashes, 612 injuries and 12 fatalities.

A three car collision on Echo Summit Saturday, April 2 was the result of one driver not paying attention to the road in front of him on the second day of what happens to be Distracted Driver Month.

The California Highway Patrol had responded to an accident on Highway 50 just west of Old Meyers Grade. As they were taking care of that incident, a Subaru Legacy driven by Ray Garcia, 48, of South Lake Tahoe was heading west when he looked to the left to observe the previous accident.

El Dorado County is proposing roadway and multi-us path improvements for the Meyers community, and they are inviting the public to participate during three different outreach meetings on Friday, April 22.

The proposed changes are meant to make the transportation options more safe and attractive for those living in the area as well those visiting or passing through. One option already mentioned by Caltrans is the addition of a roundabout at the Highway 50/Highway 89 intersection to slow down traffic coming from Echo Summit.

The Nevada Highway Patrol had a busy day Monday as they dealt with numerous crashes and stuck cars after a "Spring Slider" dumped a foot of snow in many areas in and around Reno.

Between 4:00 a.m. and noon, NHP troopers responded to 25 crashes that did not require medical response, eight crashes that needed ambulances, and over 45 motorists that needed some sort of assist.

A Valentine's Day rockslide at Emerald Bay closed Highway 89 for about an hour. The California Highway Patrol responded to a call of rocks on the roadway and controlled traffic in the are until a truck equipped with a plow could clear off the slide.

The road reopened at 11:34 a.m.

No other details are available at this time.

The westbound, lakeside Cave Rock tunnel entrance will get a makeover this summer, one that will stop rocks from falling onto Highway 50, add lighting to the inside of the tunnel as well as adding water quality improvements.

Devin Cartwright, Supervisor with the Nevada Department of Transportation's Roadway Design Division, spoke to the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association Thursday, giving them a overview of the project that will bring with it one lane of traffic in each direction, causing some traffic delays, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week from May to October, 2016.

8:15 p.m. update: Highway 50 through Cave Rock is now open and clear. All rocks have been cleared away.

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A large boulder rolled onto Highway 50 Saturday evening on the Lake Tahoe east shore, closing one eastbound lane of traffic on the west side of the Cave Rock tunnel.

According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, just after 6:00 p.m., several rocks fell onto the roadway, the largest too heavy to be moved by one of their patrol cars. They are now waiting for a bulldozer to clear the roadway.

NHP estimates for all to be cleared by 9:15 p.m.

Improving transportation options for bicyclists and pedestrians is one of the most effective strategies to conserve and restore Lake Tahoe’s environment, revitalize the economy, enhance recreation opportunities, and improve public health, according to Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) officials.

The celebratory crowd at Stateline was once again a small crowd, estimated by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to be between 5,000-10,000. The road through the casino corridor didn't have to close until 11:58 p.m.

People at Lake Tahoe are working together like never before to restore our environment, revitalize our economy, and improve our communities. We saw significant progress all around the lake this year. And our progress is sustainable with continued partnership and collaboration, so critical to tackle the many challenges and important decisions on our horizon.

With the onset of winter weather, all construction activity has concluded for the season on state highways in the Lake Tahoe Basin, but significant upgrades have been completed.

There is no road work scheduled for the South Shore this week. Here are the current projects around the lake:

Interstate 80 (Placer County) from Brace Road to Magra Road: Work continues on a $36 million project to increase the vertical clearance of nine bridge structures in south Placer County to 16 feet, 6 inches. The vertical clearance will be increased on seven structures by lifting the existing bridge deck and the other two will have the roadway below dug down. More information on the project is available at www.raise80.com

California continues to experience high numbers of motorcycle-involved collision deaths and injuries, and because of this the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has been awarded a grant to promote motorcycle safety and awareness.

The goal of "Have a Good Ride II" is to reduce the number of motorcycle-involved fatal and injurty traffic collisions statewide.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work is in winter suspension on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

A woman from Roseville, Calif. has been identified as the victim in Friday's head-on collision on Highway 50 near Kyburz.

Kimberly Ayers, 51, was driving westbound at approximately 5:45 p.m. when her car drifted into the eastbound lane and collided with an SUV carrying four people.

Ayers died at the scene according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the SUV, Alfredo Castillo, 49, of San Pablo, Calif., suffered major injuries. His passengers suffered moderate injuries.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.