Skip the detour — Echo Summit is open

Echo Summit is open.

This section of Highway 50 that connects the South Shore to points west will be open on weekends and subject to controlled traffic during the week.

Motorists can expect 20-minute delays while work continues for up to six week.

Work on Echo Summit finished ahead of schedule. Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee

There will be no traffic restrictions on weekends including over the Memorial Day Weekend.

The rock wall barrier replacement project at Echo Summit was funded in part ($1.9 million) by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The following are quick facts about the barrier replacement project at Echo Summit:

• 1,302 lineal feet rock barriers along Highway 50 at Echo Summit were removed and replaced.

• The entire width of the roadway for one mile was resurfaced.

• The rebuilding effort included seven walls along the eastbound lane; the longest is 298 feet and the shortest is 68 feet.

• Approximately 20-25 people worked at the job site during each of two shifts (except when work was temporarily suspended due to weather).

• The historic rock walls were removed two feet below the roadway. In addition, most of the eastbound lane along the length of the walls was removed to a similar depth.

• The form liners for new barrier have a rock texture; workers hand carved the top surface and ends for design authenticity.

• The rock and rubble removed from the project becomes the property of South Lake Tahoe and will be delivered to a designated site.