Highway 50 on Lake Tahoe's east shore closed due to new rock slides

LAKE TAHOE, NEV. - Two more boulders have come off the hill onto Highway 50 north of Cave Rock, causing transportation officials to temporarily close down the road in both directions on Wednesday, February 8.

The boulders, both larger than a vehicle, came down in the last two hours at Logan Creek, the same area where boulders rolled onto the roadway on Monday and Tuesday. All of the boulders have been larger than the size of a passenger vehicle.

Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has closed the road for safety reasons as there are more boulders that are very destabilized on the slope above the roadway. Meg Ragonese of NDOT said the roadway will be reopened once the situation is deemed safe, but there is not estimated time of when that will be.

After two boulders fell on Tuesday they had put up safety barriers to divert traffic away from the hillside and reduced traffic to one lane in each direction.

No vehicles were involved in the slides, and no injuries were reported.

NDOT has dedicated approximately $15 million to enhancing traffic safety by stabilizing roadside slopes to reduce rockslide and other erosion in U.S. 50 at Tahoe. The majority of U.S. 50 roadside slopes in the Glenbrook area have already been stabilized with rock fall netting or reinforced roadside slopes or have barrier rail/wall built at the bottom to contain and collect erosion-related rock fall. Last year, NDOT also extended the westbound, lakeside Cave Rock tunnel entrance. The new approximately 60-foot long and 27-foot tall structure extends the previous tunnel to enhance safety by catching rock fall before it reaches the roadway.

With heavy precipitation continuing in Lake Tahoe, NDOT is reminding motorists of the increased likelihood of rockslides, mudslides and avalanches in mountainous areas. Drivers are reminded to always drive safely and watch the road ahead.