Caltrans

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An illegal and abandoned campfire near the Pacific Crest Trail ignited a fire on Wednesday evening.

Crews from USFS, Lake Valley Fire and Calfire were called to the 5:20 p.m. fire on September 19. They staged at the Echo Summit Caltrans maintenance yard on Highway 50, and when determined to be on Forest Service land, the Engine 42 crew from USFS hiked into the fire location and the others were on call in case needed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets project that was slated to begin as soon as the 2018 building season began is now scheduled for a May 1, 2019 start (or sooner if weather allows).

Firefighers now have a containment line around three percent of the Boot Fire as 6,873 acres have burned. Fire activity moderated yesterday with little fire growth occurring. More than 570 firefighters and numerous helicopters are making headway.

Due to heavy traffic expected in Lake Tahoe for the Labor Day weekend, Caltrans will suspend roadwork for the holiday, but there will be big changes in their work schedule starting Tuesday, September 4.

In South Lake Tahoe, roadwork on U.S. Highway 50 from Winnemucca Avenue to Silver Dollar Avenue will be suspended starting Friday, August 31 at 8:00 a.m. and will resume on Tuesday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m.

Although Caltrans construction is not happening during Labor Day weekend, there will be heavy traffic and work zones will still be set up. Please "Be Work Zone Alert."

Trees on the 46.52 acre Lake Tahoe Airport property will soon be removed as required (and overdue) by the California Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. It has been 11 years since trees have been removed on the property and there is increasing threat into the navigable airspace at north end of runway from trees. The aircraft that frequent the airport would be unable to takeoff with the increased growth.

For the past five years, the department has issued letters of correction to remove multiple tree obstructions on the runway.

The following is a list of the Caltrans roadwork projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County for the week of July 29 - August 4, 2018.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

The following is a list of the Caltrans roadwork projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County for the week of July 22 - 28, 2018.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

The following is a list of the Caltrans roadwork projects in the Lake Tahoe Basinand El Dorado County for the week of July 15 - 21, 2018.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

The 4th of July is not only a fun holiday, but it is a very busy one in Lake Tahoe. Due to heavy holiday traffic, Caltrans will suspend their roadwork projects at the lake.

Roadwork on U.S. Highway 50 from the "Y" intersection to the Trout Creek Bridge will be suspended starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 3. The regular weekly construction schedule will resume at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 5.

Although construction will be suspended for the holiday, there will be heavy traffic and work zones will still be set up. Please "Be Work Zone Alert."

Trevor M. Bright has been identified as the victim in Tuesday night's hit-and-run vehicle vs. bicycle crash in South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 33-year-old South Lake Tahoe man died after being struck by a vehicle on US 50 between Grocery Outlet and the Upper Truckee Bridge as he crossed the highway.

Crews from Security Paving, the Caltrans contractor working in the area, arrived at the job site at 5:38 a.m. Wednesday and found the body off the side of the road and called the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

SLTPD arrived first but turned the incident over to California Highway Patrol (CHP) as it was construction zone incident. Work had not yet begun for the day.

The following are Caltrans road projects on the California side of Lake Tahoe for the next week:

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 49 (El Dorado County): Work continues on a $22 million project to replace the South Fork American River Bridge in Coloma-Lotus. This project will make seismic improvements to the new bridge, widen the structure to allow for 8-foot shoulders and 6-foot sidewalks, and improve the roadway on both sides of the bridge. Completion is expected in mid-August. No traffic-interfering work is scheduled on the highway:

The following is the Caltrans schedule for Lake Tahoe basin roads this week.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 49 (El Dorado County): Work continues on a $22 million project to replace the South Fork American River Bridge in Coloma-Lotus. This project will make seismic improvements to the new bridge, widen the structure to allow for 8-foot shoulders and 6-foot sidewalks, and also make roadway improvements to State Route 49 on either side of the bridge. Completion is expected in mid-August. No traffic-interfering work is scheduled on the highway.

CAMP RICHARDSON, SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After meeting with partner agencies, Caltrans has decided to discontinue the use of the pedestrian hybrid beacon crossing device on State Route 89 in Camp Richardson indefinitely.

In an effort to make for safe pedestrian passage across the highway and to manage traffic through the State Highway 89 corridor, Caltrans installed the beacons in 2016 but they were often confusing to drivers with its yellow and red light system.

UPDATE 5/10/18 10:30 a.m.: State Route 88 remains closed near Woodfords Thursday morning as crews work to remove the demolished tanker truck involved in Wednesday's fatal crash.

Gregory Brown, 46, of Oakland, California has been identified as the driver, whose body was found at the scene nine hours after the crash.

Emergency personnel responded to the 10:05 a.m. call on May 9, 2018 on State Route 88 near the Caltrans maintenance yard west of Woodfords and the SR-89 junction. Upon arrival they found an overturned tanker and detached cab off the roadway.

The following are the current California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) road projects in the El Dorado and Placer County areas of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra for the week of May 6 - May 12, 2018.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

The three-year long, $56.9 million Caltrans project on a two-mile stretch of Highway 50 from the Y to the Trout Creek Bridge is set to resume next week in South Lake Tahoe.

Scope of work in 2018 is from Winnemucca Avenue to Silver Dollar Avenue as well as repaving the “Y” intersection. Work is scheduled to begin Monday, April 30 at 6:00 a.m. from Winnemucca Avenue working east. The work schedule for May will be from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

There are several reasons, as well as ideas for a solution, surrounding the traffic jams in Meyers that occur on many Sundays and holidays as vehicles leave the South Lake Tahoe area.

El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel held another town hall meeting about traffic with almost 30 people at the Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School this week. She brought along El Dorado County transportation staff and was joined by the California Highway Patrol.

El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday, April 18 to continue the discussion on traffic issues in the Meyers area. The meeting will be held at the Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

This is a follow up to her February 28 meeting on the subject that plagues Meyers neighborhoods on busy Sundays and holidays as visitors leave South Lake Tahoe and head west over Echo Summit.

The following was sent to the South Lake Tahoe City Council and was shared with South Tahoe Now:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Crews from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have cleared the snow from State Route 89 around Emerald Bay, opening the roads for the first time since Thursday.

Several feet of snow fell from Thursday to Saturday around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra, keeping snow removal crews busy on all mountain roads.

With new storm systems headed to Lake Tahoe this week, the road could be closed again. For up to the minute road information, visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

During this week's California Tahoe Conservancy board meeting, funds were not only approved for the Greenway shared use trail in South Lake Tahoe, but also for grants to be used on the lake, a forest health project and a 10 percent raise for Executive Director Patrick Wright.

There were no injuries in Sunday's collision between a Caltrans snow plow and a van in South Lake Tahoe.

At approximately 8:39 p.m. on March 4, 2018, a Caltrans snow plow assisting with the middle lane berm cleanup along Highway 50 in collided with a van.

North Upper Truckee and Sawmill Road have become parking lots Monday afternoon, reminiscent of 2017's problems of ill-equipped vehicles on snow covered back roads.

The California Highway Patrol and El Dorado County Sheriff's Office have spent Monday responding to several calls in the Meyers area of cars stuck on side roads as they attempt to circumvent the backlog of traffic on Highway 50.

Along with those issues there have been several accidents and as of 3:30 p.m, State Route 88 may have to close due to a crash