South Lake Tahoe, CA…The Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) has presented Outstanding Achievement awards to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and Q&D Construction for this year’s successful and timely completion of the Cave Rock Tunnel Extension Project on US Highway 50 on Tahoe’s east shore. The awards were presented at the December 15 Chamber Board meeting.

From left to right, Jason Drew Tahoe Chamber Board Chair, Devin Cartwright NDOT, Kurt Matzoll Q&D Construction, Roy Halliburton Q&D Construction, Steve Gillespie Q&D Construction
(Accepting the award on behalf of NDOT was Devin Cartwright. Accepting for Q&D Construction was Kurt Matzoll, Roy Halliburton, and Steve Gillespie.)

“This was a complex, multi-faceted project in one of the most sensitive, culturally significant sections of the highway network at Lake Tahoe,” said Interim Chamber CEO Steve Teshara. “It involved an entire season of one-way controlled traffic and had the potential to really snarl traffic during Tahoe’s busy summer season. The planning and execution of traffic management for the project was as important as planning, design, and construction of the project itself. On behalf of our members and the broader community, the Chamber wanted to publicly recognize NDOT and Q&D Construction for their professional delivery on both these aspects of the project.”

Chamber Board Chair Jason Drew thanked NDOT and Q&D for working closely with business and tourism leaders in the development of the traffic management plan. “They were very responsive to our concerns in terms of accommodating special events and understanding peak season traffic flows,” Drew said. “The business community recognized why NDOT needed to expedite this important public safety project. We were pleased to collaborate with them and see the safety project blended with environmental improvements.”

NDOT planners expedited project planning after rains during the winter of 2014-2015 loosened boulders from the rock face above Cave Rock, some of which reached the roadway. As a temporary solution, rock fall reduction and slope stabilization experts removed rock debris and netting was installed to help catch potential rock fall.

The more permanent $6 million project extended the westbound, lakeside Cave Rock tunnel entrance. The new approximately 60-foot long, 27-foot tall structure improves safety by catching rock fall before it reaches the roadway. The tunnel extension replicates natural colors, patterns and textures to match the existing rock face. Lighting and white paint were added inside each tunnel for better visibility and two new radar-activated overhead signs were installed to automatically notify drivers of bicyclists or potentially icy conditions in the tunnels. US 50 lanes and the roadway median between Cave Rock and the Cave Rock State Park boat launch were also paved. In addition, water quality improvements such as enhanced roadside drainage inlets and sediment filtration systems were installed along US 50 from one mile to four miles north of Cave Rock.