NDOT gives Tahoe roads a pass in 2013

Publisher’s note: This is one of a few stories about construction planned for the Lake Tahoe Basin this summer.

By Kathryn Reed

While Nevada state highway officials are well aware of the condition of Kingsbury Grade, it’s going to be another year before that stretch of road in Lake Tahoe gets any more attention.

Also known as Highway 207, this South Shore artery that links Tahoe and the Carson Valley was torn up during the last four years for an erosion control project that took much longer than it was supposed to. Not touched were the numerous potholes and other hindrances with the asphalt.

Work continues at the Kahle Drive portion of the Stateline-to-Stateline bike path. Photo/LTN

Starting in 2014 and possibly going into 2015 will be a $7.5 million project to overlay the highway from the basin at the juncture of Highway 50 and going up 3.7 miles.

“No one will argue it’s needed. It’s falling apart,” Scott MacGruder, spokesman for Nevada Department of Transportation, told Lake Tahoe News.

MacGruder call this a “pretty low-key year for NDOT” when it comes to work in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

In less than 20 years, NDOT has put in about $30 million worth of erosion control work in the basin.

NDOT and Caltrans talk to each other, as well as the local jurisdictions, to try not to have every highway in the basin torn up at the same. With dirt only supposed to be moved from May 1 to Oct. 15 based on Tahoe Regional Planning Agency rules, the window to do work is limited for all concerned. With dry years like this, though, exemptions are often granted to start work sooner.

Caltrans has projects on most of the California routes in the basin.

To help get NDOT projects wrapped up last year, there was an incentive clause in the contract for the roundabout on Highway 28 in Incline Village to be finished last year. It could have stretched into this year.

NDOT crews will be doing some maintenance to highways, but no big projects.

The department is overseeing the $900,000 completion of what is called Phase 1C of the Stateline-to-Stateline bike path. The first section of the South Shore route was laid down last year starting at Rabe Meadow in Stateline at the Lam Watah Trailhead parking lot on Kahle Drive.

This year the section of trail linking the bike path to Round Hill Pines Beach will be completed.

The three South Shore segments are broken up as follows:

• Casino area to Kahle Drive

• Kahle Drive to Elks Point Road

• Elks Point Road to Round Hill Pines.

The middle section was built first because it is all on Forest Service land..

When completely built, the 30-mile bike path will go the Crystal Bay.