transportation

Transportation planners will hold a series of open houses for the Meyers community and anyone else interested in seeing three sets of plans created for the proposed Highway 50 corridor.

They are once again asking for public input on the project that is intended to provide attractive and safe travel options for the community.

How do aquatic invasive plants and animals threaten the ecology and water quality of Lake Tahoe? Learn about steps you can take to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species during the next Tahoe Talks in the Aspen Room at Lake Tahoe Community College on Wednesday, June 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Local experts will talk about why it’s important to inspect your boat, clean your recreational equipment and keep an eye out for aquatic invasive plants.

Speakers:

Zack Bradford, Natural Resources Manager, League to Save Lake Tahoe

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 3 is developing a safety project that proposes to construct a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and State Highway 89 in Meyers beginning in 2018. The department has looked at several options at this location and has identified a roundabout as the preferred alternative to address safety concerns and improve traffic flow.

Four new projects in South Lake Tahoe will be moving forward after the City was awarded $3 million in grants from the federal government through TRPA's Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO).

The money will be used for the following:

$1.8 million for design and construction of the Sierra Boulevard Complete Street Project
$510,000 for construction of the Tahoe Valley Greenbelt Project
$390,000 for purchase of a Sander vehicle replacement
$200,000 for the design and engineering of the Lake Tahoe Boulevard Bike Trail

There is a balancing act needed to provide quality transportation, protect Lake Tahoe, keep clean air and meet the needs of the communities around the lake, but that is what Tahoe Transportation District is trying to accomplish with a series of pubic outreach efforts.

On Tuesday night in South Lake Tahoe, staff from the TTD, Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO) and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) held an open house at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel to get a pulse on the feelings of the public about transportation.

With construction started in the U.S. 50 Cave Rock tunnel, travelers need to know restrictions now that both lanes of traffic go through the eastbound tunnel.

Because of the slope of the interior to the tunnel, no oversized vehicles or oversized loads are allowed (wider than 8'6" and taller than 14'6"). Most buses and RVs are smaller than these restricted sized, and have been able to travel through the tunnel safely according to Meg Ragonese, Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Public Information Officer.

Our home of beautiful South Lake Tahoe is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world. With around 4.3 million visitors in 2011, as well as certain main events and holidays where our city's population doubles and even triples. With this nonstop tourism occurring throughout South Lake Tahoe, it only makes sense to have a “downtown” area, which is what the loop road will provide. Despite the concerns of how the loop road will hurt our community, there are a lot of long term social and environmental benefits involved in this project.

Location

The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Board today unanimously approved a set of principles to clarify and guide the final design and implementation of the US Highway 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project, also known as the Loop Road Project.

This plan that will answer some community member's concerns about the project by addressing right-of-way, housing, road construction, assistance and support for affected businesses, and continued community involvement.

A community group effort led by the Women of the Moose (WOTM) Chapter 408 in South Lake Tahoe is helping the homeless youth of the community

WOTM help out with the kids who are part of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District's McKinney Vento program. LTUSD receives an annual allocation of about $1,000 to purchase school supplies and help with bus transportation for its approximately 250 homeless students.

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.

A project designed to help protect environmentally sensitive resources while providing safer, adequate access the area south of Lakeshore Drive along State Route 28 is the focus of an upcoming public meeting on Tuesday, April 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m at The Chateau at Incline Village. A question and answer period will be at 5:30 p.m.

The 2016 construction season in the Tahoe Basin will get under way next week with work resuming on a multi-year State Highway 89 project, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today.

The $70.1 million water-quality improvement project is building new drainage facilities to collect and treat stormwater runoff, adding curbs and gutters, widening the highway and repaving an eight-mile section of Highway 89 between Tahoma and Tahoe City. Work this season will focus on the remaining four miles of the project between Eagle Rock and Granlibakken Road.

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.

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.

On April 7 and April 20, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol will be especially vigilant for distracted drivers on local roads as part of a joint effort across the state.

Although the officers' goals are not to write as many citations as possible, sometimes citations are necessary for drivers to understand the importance of focusing on their driving.

Distracted driving is such an important safety issue that April is recognized as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, in its capacity as the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization, on Wednesday adopted an active transportation plan that will help communities continue to improve transportation options for bicyclists and pedestrians in the Tahoe Basin.

Transportation projects that improve infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians also help improve air and water quality, revitalize the economy, improve public health, and enhance recreation opportunities.

Visitors to Lake Tahoe’s east shore could soon have a new bike path linking upscale Incline Village to Nevada’s Sand Harbor State Park, but the price tag might induce sticker shock: $12.5 million for the 3-mile project.

Yes, that is more than $4 million a mile in taxpayer dollars for a 10-foot-wide bike path traveling just about 16,000 feet along the picturesque mountain lake.

Not to mention another $7 million to $9 million that the Nevada Transportation Department plans to spend in state gas taxes in conjunction with the project on related environmental and safety needs.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Code has changed, much to the appreciation of both homeowners and contractors who had to deal with different codes, depending on the location of the home, City or in the County.

The council voted to remove restrictions on the fire sprinkler code (Chapter 5.20) to be more in line with Lake Valley Fire District. The City's stricter code confused contractors who build houses in the city, and in the county, and it was also found to be cost prohibitive for homeowners wishing to remodel.

Restoring and conserving our environment at Lake Tahoe means setting our aspirations at the right scale. That’s what TRPA and many partners are working to do through strategic initiatives to ensure the health of our basin’s forests, streams, and lake, and to improve our communities and transportation infrastructure.

Rarely do I use this space to comment upon political issues within our community. That said, with the “politicization” of the US Hwy 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project I felt the need to share some background and perspectives for consideration.

Most schools are open and on regular schedule today, Monday, March 7, 2016.

Lake Tahoe Unified Schools - Open and on regular schedule

Douglas County Schools - Open and on regular schedule

Tahoe Truckee Unified School District - All open except for Donner Trail Elementary
and Donner Summit. Snow day for Donner Trail due to I-80 closure and heavy snow; no bus transportation to and from Donner Summit students. All other schools are open and on a regular schedule.

Incline Village Schools - Open and on a regular schedule.

The agenda for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday, March 8 is a full one. Board members will be addressing the new state law concerning immunizations, new lights for the soccer field at South Tahoe Middle School, a conditioning room and new flooring at South Tahoe High, student privacy, finances, a 4.5% raise for employees, and discuss a tuition agreement with Douglas County Schools. The meeting begins at the District Office at 5:00 p.m. with closed session, with the public portion beginning about 6:00 p.m.

Immunizations

2:45 p.m. 2/28/16 update:

Two different high speed chases through the Carson Valley and up Kingsbury Grade resulted in the arrest of two men and two women on Saturday, February 27, 2017.

At 3:10 p.m., a trooper from the Nevada Highway Patrol spotted a silver Mercedes-Benz with California plates going down U.S. 50 (Spooner Summit) at 85 mph. The driver failed to pull over for the trooper, instead turning South on Highway 395 towards Minden, Nev., at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

The Nevada Department of Transportation’s dedicated bridge inspection and rehabilitation program has helped Nevada bridges to be named the nation’s best for the second consecutive year.