Opinion: Sierra Boulevard is at an end; Looking forward to the next beginning

It's been one heck of a summer in terms of driving around town. Between Echo Summit and the Meyers roundabout, the horrible accident at Elks Club, US50 through town and then the construction at Stateline that caused delays back to Zephyr Cove in mid-September. Luckily, the Stateline issue was quickly remedied, the highway at Elks Club seems mostly repaired, and the Meyers roundabout turned out great.

We are so close, but still not quite finished with the middle of town. Every day is a mystery puzzle to figure out. Which road will cross Sierra Boulevard today? Which road will provide access to US50 and how long will it take to turn? Is it possible to bypass the 30-minute waits on US50 by going through Sierra Tract? One never knows...

In the past four-five weeks, after the tourist crush but at the height of the soccer season and back-to-school activities, we saw traffic reduced to one lane in each direction. People started doing crazy things. Last week the signs on Sierra Blvd. clearly said ROAD CLOSED, but cars were driving straight across the new pavement. Though I didn't dare do it, I had to acknowledge their chutzpah. Then, last Thursday I had a strange realization that there were no road closed/detour signs and Sierra was open for crossing. I cautiously drove across it, people were out strolling and walking their dogs, and I got to the Y in five minutes. I felt a great relief thinking it was all finally over. But, the next day it was closed again...

The good news is that the Sierra Blvd. ribbon cutting is next Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. (not a minute too soon). Despite all the headaches, I look forward to how this new street design will transform that neighborhood, and our larger community. Through all this, I've gotten to know Tahoe Sierra better. It is one of the few places in town that really feels like a community. The homes are lived in. Halloween decorations are plentiful. The fall colors are beautiful. It will be well worth the wait and feel even more like a community when Sierra Blvd., the sidewalks and bike path are complete. This great little neighborhood deserves it.

Not only will it help Sierra Tract, but this Complete Streets project is also a critical step in making the South Shore more bikeable and walkable in general. While we have a seamless combination of bike paths and routes along US50 on the lake side from the Stateline area to the Y, we need more paths and safer access to our neighborhoods, schools and recreational amenities to make biking and walking more realistic. The best news is that in addition to better driving conditions around town, there are big improvements for non-motorized options on the horizon as well.

Next summer a new bike path is being constructed from Glenwood Ave. to Sierra Blvd. called the “Greenway”. It will go through Bijou meadow along the Pioneer Village neighborhood, by the bike park, through LTCC, across Trout Creek on a new bridge and into Tahoe Sierra along Barbara Ave. The bike path from Herbert to Glenwood was built a few years ago. When completed it will provide a safer, more pleasant biking alternative than the lanes on US50 and a more direct route to many destinations. In addition, the City is adding a bike path and sidewalks on the short stretch of Al Tahoe Blvd from Johnson Ave to US50 by the Middle School (similar to Ski Run and now Sierra Blvd.). These two projects will provide safer access for students in the Bijou and Tahoe Sierra neighborhoods to get to school by bike.

Also, in the works is a bike path on Lake Tahoe Blvd, from Viking Way (the entrance to High School) to the Y. This will close the gap between the Sawmill bike trail and the Y and provide better access for our high school students. Out in Meyers, the County is working on a bike trail that would connect San Bernardino street (where the Magnet school is located) across the river to the North Upper Truckee Blvd area.

Each of these trails not only provides bike and pedestrian accessibility, but also supports emergency vehicles, if necessary. Given the traffic we have seen lately, and in Meyers especially, this is a much-needed added benefit and it can't happen soon enough.

But much more can be done. We call on City Council and staff to begin planning/design of future projects now as they take a mind-boggling amount of time to get from good idea to fruition. Right now the City and California Tahoe Conservancy are looking at road improvements on Pioneer near Ski Run where the road often floods. Designing and installing a bike path at the same time would save planning and construction costs and extend the Greenway. In addition, the Greenway bike path across Bijou meadow needs a connector to the Bike Park and a safe connection along Al Tahoe to Johnson Blvd. Those connections can and should be designed this winter for construction next summer (when the other two larger projects are happening) in order to save on costs.

Finally, now that the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) owns the Johnson Meadow by Barton, we urge the City to work closely and expeditiously with TRCD to finalize plans on installing a new bridge there to replace the one that was destroyed in the winter of 2016-17. This critical connection would further extend the Greenway for many bikers. Due to the sensitive meadow and Upper Truckee River work needed, it will require much planning and environmental review to get it right.

In the meantime, thanks for the good work and looking forward to the Ribbon Cutting and being able to get around town again.

- Rebecca Bryson and the Community Mobility Workgroup