Work starts this spring on Round Hill Pines Access Project; New entrance and exit planned

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - To address safety issues at the entrance to Round Hill Pines at Lake Tahoe, work will soon begin on the Round Hill Pines Access Project which will relocate the intersection of the popular resort and US50 and widen an additional lane on the highway.

US 50 work will include adding a median left-turn lane for cars turning into the resort and an acceleration lane for those turning left out of the resort onto US 50. The access road work involves realigning the access road between the proposed intersection and the parking area. Other improvements include roadway drainage improvements, signing, and striping.

The project required removing some trees for the new road, and that job has been completed. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the Round Hill project went out for bid in February, and bids were opened on March 24. They are working on awarding the project, which is slated to take place in the next two weeks.

The current access road provides no protected turning movements across US50 due to limited sight distance on a road where the speed limit is 45 mph. During the peak summer season, cars trying to access the resort from the eastbound lanes create unsafe conditions for the vehicle turning as well as those staying in the lanes of traffic.

Construction will likely begin in late April or early May and they anticipate it will be completed in October 2022.

The Central Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration, in cooperation with the U.S Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency proposed this project which had public meetings involved starting in 2019.

Major improvements were completed at Round Hill Pines Resort in 2018, five years after Bob Hassett started operating the resort and plans were created.

Round Hill Pines Resort opened for the first time in 1951, and its amenities included a beach terrace, heated pool, professional tennis court, badminton, tetherball, volleyball, fishing in Bourne Lake, a driving range, a private beach and dock, and a boat slip rental. Motel units were constructed in 1956. By the summer of 1963, the resort had increased to 30 units, including housekeeping cottages. Sewer improvements forced it to close in 1969. In 1984, USFS purchased the property and the day-use facilities were all that has been used since, but that could change.

NDOT has reviewed the plans for compliance with state and federal highway design standards and has contributed funding for a portion of the project. NDOT will also review the forthcoming traffic control plans detailing construction-related impacts on US50 during project construction.