Pilot full closure program on two roads in Meyers to help address traffic issues

El Dorado County unveiled their pilot plan Tuesday evening, one that is designed to help alleviate traffic congestion on Meyer's back roads during two holiday weekends this summer.

El Dorado County Department of Transportation (EDCDOT) Director Rafael Martinez joined other staff members in presenting the traffic congestion circulation alternative to the approximately 25 people in attendance. There will be a hard closure in place on Sawmill Road near Highway 50, and on North Upper Truckee near Highway 50 during the July 4th and Labor Day holiday weekends as part of a pilot project.

This means that nobody will be able to get to Highway 50 from Sawmill Road or from North Upper Truckee Road, two roads used heavily when smartphone traffic apps send drivers through neighborhoods to get ahead of westbound traffic on Highway 50 through Meyers and over Echo Summit.

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County Supervisor Sue Novasel organized the meeting after her fellow supervisors gave the okay to go ahead and put the hard closures in place. Since barriers will be in place the traffic apps will be told no traffic is allowed on both of those surface streets. Drivers headed in those directions will have to follow Highway 50 from "Y" and head over Echo Summit the "old way," along the highway. If they make it onto Sawmill or North Upper Truckee (NUT) they'll have to turn around.

Local traffic can make it as far as the barriers but no further. No left-hand turns will be allowed off Sawmill and NUT.

Transportation officials will be monitoring the Pioneer Trail and Mandan/Apache areas to see if those neighborhoods will see a consequence of the pilot program and be impacted from an increase of more vehicle in search of the quickest route. They will evaluate those streets along with the closed streets.

Besides Novasel and Martinez, the County sent DOT Deputy Director Brian Muellens and Matt Moody to the meeting. They were joined by two sheriff deputies, Lake Valley Fire Chief Tim Alameda, his fire marshall, and two other fire employees.

When Martinez asked the gathered group for a show of hands of how many people were in favor of this type of closure, and all but one person raised their hand.

"This is a pilot project," said Novasel. "We have scheduled two times for this to happen, and then we will be evaluating the impacts, concerns, and success of the program once again in September (after Labor Day) to determine whether this is something that we might try in the winter when the roads are heavily impacted due to chain controls, I-80 closures, and holiday travel."

For the 4th of July, the road closure will occur on Sunday, July 7, and during the Labor Day weekend it will take place on Monday, September 2.