roadway

Caltrans closed part of Highway 50 near Kyburz Wednesday afternoon to allow them time to clean up a river of mud that was flowing over the roadway.

Travelers between Placerville and South Lake Tahoe had up to an hour delay as crews cleaned out overflowing culverts to get the water moving in a direction that wouldn't hamper drivers.

With more heavy rains on the way, and ground that is already saturated, residents and drivers can expect more of the same through Friday.

LAKE TAHOE, NEV. - Two more boulders have come off the hill onto Highway 50 north of Cave Rock, causing transportation officials to temporarily close down the road in both directions on Wednesday, February 8.

The boulders, both larger than a vehicle, came down in the last two hours at Logan Creek, the same area where boulders rolled onto the roadway on Monday and Tuesday. All of the boulders have been larger than the size of a passenger vehicle.

The roads around Lake Tahoe have been hard to navigate this week after several feet of snow fell in the basin after the last series of storms over the weekend. Many streets in South Lake Tahoe remain narrow and thick with snow, making it hard to drive through neighborhoods.

Just as residents struggle with all that snow left on their roofs, driveways and walkways, City snowplows are also struggling with what seemed at times as nonstop snow.

Snowplow operators have been working 12-hour shifts to get the roads in South Lake Tahoe cleared of snow, and they will continue widening roads starting Friday to prepare for the next storm.

During winter snow conditions, snow plows have the right of way on streets and vehicles left unattended in the streets are subject to a citation and/or getting towed. Law enforcement is seeing a large number of cars parked on neighborhood streets and not where they belong in driveways.

The four-mile section of SR-89 around Emerald Bay remains closed after recent storms dumped snow on Lake Tahoe. Caltrans maintenance staff have begun the process of clearing the roadway which has up to 30 feet of snow in some locations as well as debris from last week's storm.

A 43-year-old woman from Tahoe City, Calif., was killed Thursday after a tree fell onto her car as she was driving north of Squaw Valley on SR-89.

According to the California Highway Patrol in Truckee, several cars were on the roadway at about 6:30 p.m. when a tree fell onto the road, hitting two cars, a Subaru and Cadillac Escalade.

The driver of the Subaru was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another tree fell on a third car as the driver stopped to check on the occupant of the Subaru. Occupants of the Cadillac and Tesla were uninjured.

Many roads in Nevada were under water Sunday after torrential rains went through, causing rivers and streams to flood. In Reno alone 50 roads were closed due to high water levels, and all bridges over the Truckee River in Reno were also closed.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) spent the day evaluating the state's roads affected by floods and rain. Multiple state roads in the greater Truckee Meadows and Carson Valley areas remain closed, including those in the Sparks industrial area and areas of Reno, including East McCarran Boulevard and South Virginia Street.

Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has announced that State Route 207/Kingsbury Grade, the main connection between South Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley is back open after temporary repairs were made to stabilize the sink hole.

"We actually put in an interim repair and in the spring or early summer we'll come back and completely reinstall the eroding drainage pipe that caused the sinkhole," said Meg Ragonese, NDOT Public Information Officer.

She told South Tahoe Now to remind motorists that even though the road is open tonight, chains or snow tires are required.

The City of South Lake Tahoe’s Snow Removal crews have been working around the clock to clear snow on city roadways. The combination of the snow and rain mixture is casing roadways to flood. It is imperative to provide snow removal vehicles the right of way as they work to clear roadways as well as blocked drainage ways.

Follow these safety tips:
Do not drive through water that is too deep. “Turn around – don’t drown”

Do not try and cross the snow berm in the center lane. Wait until snow removal crews have cleared the center lane for crossing.

The snow hasn't been the only concern on Highway 50 over Echo Summit and along the road to Strawberry. The behavior of motorists who park illegally on the road is becoming more of a safety issue and hazard.

For those that have driven this stretch, the situation isn't anything new though there has been a big increase in offenders.

Drivers are pulling over on the roadway, a state highway, to experience snow play, and those parking are not paying attention to "No Parking" signs or the dangerous situation they are causing.

The 2016 South Lake Tahoe three-day long music festival, SnowGlobe, is over, and the thousands of of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) fans are headed home after enjoying themselves during the outdoor concert. Like with most festivals of this type, most of the arrests and citations issued by South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO), and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) were for underage drinking.

Early tabulations show that during SnowGlobe this year there were 238 arrests, 148 of those were citations to minors in possession of alcohol.

12/27/16 update 11:45 a.m. - Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe reopened and the water was turned back on at 1:00 a.m. this morning after a car struct a fire hydrant on Frontier Court Monday evening.

South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) was at the scene until 3:00 a.m.

With the large number of accidents throughout the Lake Tahoe basin Friday, it is important that everyone remember the basic rules of driving on snow and ice, especially when so many people are on the road.

Slow and easy, don't follow the car in front of you too close, and paying attention are the basics. Driving patterns cannot be the same as if driving on dry pavement in lower, warmer elevations.

Caltrans has a very easy website that includes cameras and up to the minute information on all California roads: quickmap.dot.ca.gov

A 23-year-old Markleville woman was transported to Renown Medical Center via Calstar with moderate injuries on Sunday, December 11 after crashing her vehicle on SR-89.

Approximately $158 million was spent on Lake Tahoe water quality improvement projects around Lake Tahoe in 2016, and Caltrans is not done.

In 2017 two major projects will get underway, one on each end of the lake.

During the busy 2016 season, Caltrans and its contractors completed work on two projects on State Highway 89 and made significant progress on a third.

What happened in 2016:

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

11/13/16

6:29 p.m. Obstruction - Lake Tahoe Blvd - UNKNOWN SUSPECT FLED ON FOOT FOLLOWING A VEHICLE STOP

11/14/16

11:07 a.m. - Personate to get money - Black Bart Ct - VIA EDSO ON LINE REPORTING SYSTEM- VICTIM REPORTED POSSIBLE IDENTITY THEFT DUE TO PHISHING SCAM.

The man killed as he crossed Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe on November 5, 2016 has been identified as 58-year-old Daniel Wallace Curry of Carson City, Nev.

A delay in release of the victim's name was due to the El Dorado County Coroner's Office having trouble locating the next of kin.

Curry was attempting to cross the roadway outside of a crosswalk near Heavenly Village Way at 10:40 p.m. when he was hit by a 61-year-old female Blackjack Taxi driver.

The accident doesn't appear to be alcohol or drug related. There have been no citations or arrests.

NOTE: All lane closures are weather dependent and a storm is expected in the Lake Tahoe area Tuesday through Wednesday night, November 15-16.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

In an effort to clear up misinformation about the proposed US50 Community
Revitalization/Loop Road Project, the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (TahoeChamber) hosted a public meeting Thursday evening at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. With the amount of negative public comments and voiced skepticism during past meetings, Measure T, and in social media, a larger group was expected than the 35 people who attended (and many of those were Tahoe Transportation and Tahoe Chamber staff).

LONG-TERM PROJECTS- State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in summer 2017. October 31-November 4 - State Route 89 (Placer County) from Oak Street to Cherry Street and from St.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in summer 2017.

Two hot topics for locals were discussed during a Caltrans informational meeting at the Lake Tahoe Airport on Thursday evening: A roundabout and viaduct replacement.

The 3-legged Roundabout

Citing the safety of the intersection of Highway 50 and 89 in Meyers as the catalyst, project managers, engineers and planners unveiled their plans for a three-legged roundabout at the intersection to the dozens of interested citizens who attended.

The Emerald Fire is 100 percent contained after burning 176 acres along Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe.

Debris from the weekend's high winds and torrential rains near the burn area continue to impact the roadway and Highway 89 remains closed until Caltrans completes cleanup. It is closed from Fallen Leaf Lake to Emerald Bay North Gate.

According to Liberty Utilities, all customers have had power restored.

The following areas will be open to residents only:

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

10/9/16

12:58 a.m. - Vacation Rental - Player Dr - VACATION RENTAL REPORT

12:56 p.m. - Disorderly Conduct: Alcohol - Emerald Bay Rd - A 54-YEAR-OLD FEMALE WAS CONTACTED DURING A WELFARE CHECK IN A PARKING LOT AND ARRESTED FOR PUBLIC
INTOXICATION.