CalTrans working on new South Lake Tahoe message signs

When CalTrans unveiled the three new message board signs in South Lake Tahoe before the 4th of July weekend, many were appreciative of the head's up on travel times over Echo Summit.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) implemented new bluetooth technology to display these travel times after the City of South Lake Tahoe made the request. Knowledge of travel times helps visitors make better-informed decisions on their travel and could elect to stay in the basin longer if travel times were longer than normal.

Unfortunately, the Kyburz Fire created a problem and the signs currently display a static "Slow Down and Save a Life" message.

The CalTrans electrical staff discovered an issue during the fire when the operators were trying to put messages up saying Highway 50 was closed. The travel times were overriding that message so they had to revert to a backup server according to Steven Nelson of Cal Trans.

"They’re working on a solution to get the travel times back up but still be able to switch the message if needed in case of an emergency," said Nelson.

The current messages can be read both on the three signs in South Lake Tahoe as well as on the CalTrans Website (Click on Messages on the left side). These messages can be read from any smart phone or computer, making choices about getting on the road or enjoying South Lake Tahoe longer much easier.