NDOT plans temporary change on one-mile stretch of US50 at Lake Tahoe from five lanes to three

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is proposing to temporarily restripe a one-mile section of US50 on Tahoe’s East Shore to reconfigure the highway from two lanes to one lane in each direction, with a middle turn lane. Highway officials say this is a limited test project aimed at enhancing transportation safety and access on the corridor.

On June 21, Melissa Chandler, the leader of the NDOT Corridor Planning & Special Studies Program, emailed Douglas County commissioners according to Commissioner Danny Tarkanian.

According to NDOT PIO Meg Ragonese, they plan to present the temporary striping proposal to the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners prior to installation of the new striping and will continue to gather and incorporate input from the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners, stakeholders, and members of the public.

Douglas County is asking for this to be agendized for action during the July 20, 2023, County Board of Commissioners meeting.

NDOT is planning to start the project in August and have it in place through September. The section of US50 proposed to be restriped is from south of Zephyr Cove Resort to Round Hill Pines Beach Resort. The test reconfiguration will restripe the highway from two lanes to one lane in each direction, allowing room for a two-way middle turn lane for designated turns to and from numerous driveways and side streets. Peak summer season traffic provides an opportunity to test roadway concepts which NDOT has received public feedback on.

"The temporary lane striping is a test of one component of potential future highway improvements proposed as part of NDOT’s U.S. 50 Tahoe East Shore Corridor Management Plan," said Ragonese.

While the new lanes are in place, NDOT plans to gather traffic speed and safety data, as well as public feedback, to inform any potential future changes that may be made to highway lanes. NDOT will publish data and general public feedback collected on the demonstration project.

The striping will be required to be removed after the trial period.

Also planned this building season is a new stoplight at US50 and Warrior Way, north of the current stoplight at Zephyr Cove Resort.

On average, more than 100 crashes occur every year on the corridor, almost 1/3 of which are documented to have speed as a contributing factor and much of the corridor exceeds statewide average crash rates for similar facilities.

With transportation safety and efficiency as NDOT’s top priorities, the proposed change is aimed at providing safer travel by bringing average driving speeds closer to the posted speed limit. Turn lanes are also planned to provide safer, designated turns and smoother, more reliable traffic flow. The proposed lane configurations are designed to provide traffic capacity for average peak traffic projected through year 2045. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reports that typical roadway reconfigurations can reduce crashes between 19 and 47 percent and lead to more consistent travel speeds.

The plan proposes a range of vehicle, transit and multi-modal strategies to enhance roadway travel and safety and mobility on U.S. 50 between Spooner Summit and the Nevada-California border. Study information is available at dot.nv.gov/US50EastShore. The study is being conducted in coordination with other local, state and federal agencies. To date, the study team has engaged in over 50 public and stakeholder engagements to gather public feedback, resulting in over 550 comments and over 780 conversations. NDOT is committed to continuing public engagement as updates become available.