Lane reductions at Cave Rock beginning Wednesday

Submitted by paula on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 2:19pm

In order to prepare for a 2016 project that will extend the westbound Cave Rock tunnel entrance, drivers using Highway 50 through the tunnel will experience traffic delays starting Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

Both directions of traffic will be alternated through the eastbound Cave Rock tunnel and travel delays of up to 30 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. can be expected for the next four to five weeks, Monday-Friday.

The closures are for testing and preparatory work for an upcoming NDOT project. The project, currently scheduled to begin next spring, will extend the westbound, lakeside Cave Rock tunnel entrance, providing an extended overhang for further driver safety and protection against potential rockfall.

This past winter, heavy rains loosened rocks from above the Cave Rock tunnel. Rockfall reduction and slope stabilization experts removed rock debris above the tunnel and surveyed current rock face condition for safety and stability.

“Making sure that drivers get safely where they need to go is our top priority,” NDOT District Engineer Thor Dyson explained. “This upcoming project is just one of many ways we are enhancing travel and preserving safety through Cave Rock.”

-South Tahoe Now Staff Report