New pedestrian beacon lights on US50 in Marla Bay area of Lake Tahoe

It an attempt to make the crossing of US 50 in the Marla Bay area safer, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has completed a $294,000 safety project.

Previously, pedestrians had one constantly flashing crossing light at the intersection of the highway and Lakeshore Blvd., not giving any alerts to drivers that someone was in the crosswalk. Now, there are two electronic flashing pedestrian crossing beacons that are activated by those crossing. These are meant to help stop traffic as they cross the street. There are also advance signals, giving drivers advance notice to stop for any pedestrians crossing ahead.

NDOT also had overhead street lighting installed for enhanced visibility of pedestrians in the crosswalk. On each end of the crosswalk is a small sidewalk.

The approximately $294,000 in improvements by contractor Par Electrical Contractors, Inc. began in early June and are aimed at enhancing safety for pedestrians crossing the highway, as well as for the as many as 20,000 drivers traveling the highway daily.

This year, NDOT will also install similar pedestrian safety enhancements in Carson City and Dayton. In 2017, the department completed pedestrian safety improvements on Kietzke Lane and North Virginia Street in Reno. The improvements are part of the approximately $10 million in state highway funds NDOT dedicates to pedestrian safety improvements every year. Additionally, NDOT dedicates approximately $21 million annually in federal highway safety funds to roadway safety projects and programs.