South Lake Tahoe, CA…Traffic restrictions are changing for Caltrans’ two water-quality improvement projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin after Memorial Day to better accommodate peak season traffic while continuing construction.
Work on both the $57 million South Lake Tahoe “Y” to Trout Creek Bridge project on U.S. Highway 50 and the $70 million State Highway 89 West Shore project has ceased today for the Memorial Day weekend and won’t resume until Tuesday night.

Beginning next week on the “Y” to Trout Creek project, the contractor will be required to keep two lanes open in each direction from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. To accommodate that and continue work, traffic in the westbound #1 lane will be shifted into the two-way left turn lane and the #2 westbound lane and shoulder will be closed for construction.

Eastbound and westbound left turns will be restricted within the work zone. This configuration is expected to continue throughout the peak season (Memorial Day through Labor Day).

This Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) project on two miles of Highway 50 is building new drainage systems to collect and treat stormwater runoff, constructing new curb, gutter and sidewalks, widening the highway to provide 6-foot shoulders for bike lanes and repaving the roadway. This is the first season of what’s anticipated to be a three-year project.

Meanwhile, on the West Shore on Highway 89, work is focused in the Sunnyside area between Ward Creek and Spruce Street in the final year of construction. During peak season, the contractor has to be off the road by 11 a.m. on Fridays and can’t have lane closures between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Motorists can expect one-way traffic controls with up to 20-minute delays beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday and then from 6 p.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.

This project has constructed new drainage systems on about 8 miles of Highway 89 from Tahoma to Tahoe City. The highway also has been widened to increase shoulder room and repaved. Completion is expected by the end of July.

For updates on all of Caltrans’ projects in the Tahoe Basin, go to TahoeRoads.com, follow @TahoeRoads on Twitter or “like” Tahoe Roads on Facebook.