Tahoe awarded millions for new bike and pedestrian projects

The California Transportation Commission announced this week that it will award nearly $9 million in Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant funding to help complete three major bike and pedestrian projects in the City of South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City.

Members of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway Partnership applied for the grants. The partnership formed several years ago to secure funding for critical trail segments to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety and complete the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, a comprehensive multi-use trail network for the Lake Tahoe Region.

Partnership members include the California Tahoe Conservancy; Tahoe Transportation District; City of South Lake Tahoe; Washoe, Douglas, El Dorado, and Placer counties; U.S. Forest Service; Tahoe City Public Utility District; North Tahoe Public Utility District; California State Parks; Nevada State Parks; and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

“Agencies and local governments at Lake Tahoe are working together to accelerate completion of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway and we are seeing the results of that hard work pay off,” said Karen Fink, Principal Transportation Planner at TRPA. “These grants will create critical connections in our regional bike trail system and improve active transportation access to schools and other popular destinations.”

The California Tahoe Conservancy is receiving $1.928 million for the South Tahoe Greenway Shared Use Trail to fill existing gaps and make a 1.8-mile connection in the heart of South Lake Tahoe.

The Conservancy will leverage the ATP grant with $2 million in local and matching funds to link the Sierra Tract and Bijou neighborhoods to destinations along Al Tahoe Bouelvard. The project is a partnership with the Lake Tahoe Community College, City of South Lake Tahoe, California Conservation Corps, and Tahoe Transportation District.

The City of South Lake Tahoe is receiving $2.145 million for the Al Tahoe Boulevard Safety and Mobility Enhancement Project. The project area extends from the intersection of Al Tahoe and Johnson boulevards to U.S. Highway 50. The project will upgrade road crossings and add new Class I and Class II trails to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and access around the South Tahoe Middle School.

The Tahoe Transportation District is receiving $4.9 million for improved bicycle and pedestrian connections as part of the State Route 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project in Tahoe City. The project will realign State Route 89 through Tahoe City. The existing section of State Route 89 between Fanny Bridge and the eastern roundabout on West Lake Boulevard north of Granlibakken Road will be redesigned as a “complete street” with new landscaping, limited on-street parking, and sidewalks, among other additions. The project will also extend the Tahoe City bike path network from Sugar Pine Point State Park to Meeks Bay.