highways

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Happy President's Day! What will go down as a weekend remembered for years to come, residents will continue to shovel out and get on the road to ski, shop, and work, while visitors will hit the slopes or begin a journey home that most likely took them four-five times longer than normal.

With chain controls down over Echo Summit, the journey shouldn't be hampered by snow but it will be hampered by traffic. I80 has removed some restrictions and other roads might see more of the same as the day goes on and the sun shines.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The stories of 10-15 hours to get to Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area on Friday were not isolated, and many of the repeat reports are occurring on Saturday.

Epic ski conditions have beckoned visitors to the mountains over the three-day holiday weekend, but what created those ski conditions has also caused local roads that aren't passable and clogged highways with frequent closures.

UPDATE 11:00 a.m. Sunday - Westbound traffic is now being allowed over Echo Summit on Highway 50. Other arteries remain closed.

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you don't have to go anywhere through the Sierra this morning, stay home, stay dry and stay safe.

I80 is closed from the state line to Applegate.
US50 is closed from Meyers to Smith Flat. Not only is snow causing an issue, but there are also multiple trees down and powerline issues along the route.
SR 89 remains closed at Emerald Bay.
SR 88 is closed from Peddler Vista to Red Lake Creek, east of Kirkwood.

The first wave of a several-day storm in Lake Tahoe was mostly rain on the South Shore overnight but it was a different story on the North Shore and south near Kirkwood.

Road controls as of 10:00 a.m. Saturday:

US50
Chains Required, All Vehicles Except 4-Wheel Drive with Snow Tires - on US-50 from milepost 59.8 in El Dorado County to milepost 70.6 in El Dorado County in California.

Chains Required, All Vehicles Except 4-Wheel Drive with Snow Tires - on US-50 from Spooner Junction to Douglas Carson County Line in Nevada.

SR88

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It's almost a perfect storm for traffic in Lake Tahoe: extra visitors in town for the holiday weekend and epic ski conditions with snow and chain requirements over US50 and Echo Summit.

On Monday, locals and visitors alike were part of that storm, leaving motorists stranded along US 50, Lake Tahoe Blvd., and all surface streets in Meyers that have a link to the highway over Echo Summit.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - SR-89 around Emerald Bay remains closed this afternoon and SR-88 at Kirkwood is expected to reopen shortly after a storm passed through Lake Tahoe, dumping snow and rain on the region.

Due to I-80 closing for most of Sunday because of white-out conditions and unsafe roads, many of those travelers headed to the South Shore to try and use US-50 to go over Echo Summit. That combined with the exodus of tourists in town to ski, many surface streets throughout Meyers and South Lake Tahoe remained jammed with standstill traffic for hours.

Good Morning Lake Tahoe Skiers & Riders…

Powder to the People! Freshies Galore! Get Out Early today… Winter Storm Warning is still in effect, continuing thru Monday Morning. Winds are increasing with the next weather system coming in by late morning, so lifts will operate Wind & Weather Permitting. Wind Holds at some resorts this morning… Lift operations will change thru out the day. Road Controls posted for all Highways in and around Lake Tahoe… Carry tire chains and drive with care. Get After it! Have Fun & Be Safe!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are new laws in California in 2019 that will affect those on the road, bike paths, eating at restaurants, paying bail and receiving minimum wage. In 2018, 1,217 bills made it to Governor Brown's desk and he signed 1,016 of them which are now new laws.

Here is a highlight of some of those laws which will soon be in effect:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Amgen Tour of California organizers today announced the 13 host cities that will make up the seven stages of their 14th Tour of California, and South Lake Tahoe is again part of the premier cycling event for the fifth time. ON May 13, 2019, the Men’s Stage 2 will begin in Rancho Cordova and ends once again at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Throughout seven stages over seven days, the world’s elite cyclists will contest more than 750 miles of roadways, highways and coastlines from Sacramento to Pasadena.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - There are new chain requirements on Kingsbury Grade, Mt. Rose Highway and Spooner Summit during the 2018-19 winter.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has enacted a change on these Tahoe-area highways and now require any vehicle traveling without tire chains during winter chain restrictions to be four-wheel or all-wheel drive with snow tires. No longer will cars without these distinctions be allowed to cross chain control lines with just snow tires.

There will be a full closure of Interstate 580 in northern Carson City and Washoe Valley during the morning hours of both Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, NV Energy and Nevada Department of Transportation announced Friday.

Now that we have all changed our clocks and experienced the first night of an early sunset it is time to understand what the end of Daylight Saving Time can do to drivers.

The time change may disrupt sleep patterns and affect the ability to concentrate and safely operate a motor vehicle, and to highlight the dangers of fatigued drivng, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) joins the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the National Sleep Foundation in recognizing Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, November 5-12, 2018.

Heading to Lake Tahoe this Labor Day weekend to celebrate the unofficial end of summer? Below are some tips and important information for residents and visitors to keep in mind for a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend.

There are still several fires burning in California but firefighters have gained the upper hand on many of them.

Ferguson Fire: The Ferguson Fire is now at 96,901 acres with 100 percent containment and 881 personnel currently engaged on the fire. During the most critical time in the fire, over 3,000 people were assigned to the incident from all over the world. There have been 2 fatalities and 19 injuries. 10 structures have been destroyed.

Even though firefighters gained some ground Monday on the Ferguson Fire, Yosemite National Park has announced they are closing Yosemite Valley and Wawona on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at noon to all visitors due to the ongoing impacts of the fire. These closures include all hotels, campgrounds, and visitor services in Yosemite Valley and Wawona. Park visitors currently staying in park campgrounds and lodging facilities are asked to be out of these areas by noon as well. With the ongoing closure of Highway 140, park visitors can exit the park via Highways 120 and 41.

The Fourth of July holiday period is upon us and signifies the busiest time of year in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) asks residents and visitors to keep the following tips in mind to help everyone enjoy a safe and fun holiday.

To promote public safety, the annual alcohol ban will be in effect at the following locations:

· Nevada Beach on July 4, from 6 a.m. until midnight.

Egan Bernal, Team Sky’s 21-year-old Colombian rider, defended his lead from Thursday's race in Lake Tahoe to claim the 2018 Amgen Tour of California championship by the second largest margin in race history, +1.25” ahead of BMC Racing Team’s U.S. rider Tejay van Garderen. Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale’s Daniel Martinez (COL) rounds out third place overall.

Closing out day three at the 2018 Amgen Tour of California, and rebounding one year later at the race where his team pulled him after suffering a concussion and broken collarbone, Trek-Segafredo’s Toms Skujins (LAT) made a late race move that paid off, along with Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team’s Sean Bennett (El Cerrito, Calif.) – one of the youngest in the race at 22 – together creating a gap that held all the way through the Laguna Seca Recreation Area’s speedway finish line.

This event has been cancelled.

Great Prairie™ Sports has announced the inaugural Great Prairie™ Youth Triathlon presented by Hydron Module Geothermal Systems on Saturday, July 7, 2018. Tahoe Paradise Park in Meyers will be the base for the event, which is for boys and girls ages 7-15.

For youth competing in their first Triathlon or for those progressing their development, organizers say Tahoe Paradise Park truly is a remarkable venue for the following reasons:

If you don't need to go out on the roads around Lake Tahoe today you may want to consider staying home and keeping dry.

With over a foot of new snow Friday morning, crews are working to clear the roadways and area highways have been closed a few times due to collisions, heavy snow and avalanche controls.

A look at roads in the Sierra as of 10:30 a.m.:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - There is a Lake Wind Advisory in effect for Lake Tahoe until 10:00 p.m. Sunday as a cold front moves through the region.

Winds will be from the southwest 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph by mid to late morning, increasing to 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph in the afternoon. Waves on the lake will be increasing to 2 to 4 feet this afternoon, with the highest waves from mid-lake to northeastern shores.

The temperatures started dropping early this evening, turning the rain to snow and chain controls are now in place on several highways around Lake Tahoe.

At 6:49 p.m. Thursday, R2 controls went into effect from Meyers to Twin Bridges. Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel/ all wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels. (Four wheel/all wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas).

Several sections of North Lake Tahoe highways are scheduled to be worked on over the next nine days, beginning Thursday in Tahoe City.

Grinding and paving work on Highway 28 at the Tahoe City “Wye” is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, requiring reversing one-way traffic control on both Highways 28 and 89 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the contractor, Martin Brothers, will be working on Highway 267 in Kings Beach. There will be one-way traffic control there as well from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with up to 20-minute delays.

There was a fatal motorcycle crash on U.S. 50 about a mile east of Spooner Summit just before noon Saturday, September 30.

The east bound lane was closed for about three hours as emergency personnel responded to the scene and conducted an investigation. Their cars surrounded the victim, keeping passerby from seeing the scene.

The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) said it was a single vehicle crash and speed is believed to be a factor.

The accident happened about 11:54 a.m. No other details were available.