Greenway trail in South Lake to expand by 2020
By Kathryn Reed
Bridging the neighborhoods of South Lake Tahoe is one of the primary goals of the Greenway bike path.
By 2020 the residential areas of Bijou and Sierra Tract should be linked so the need to travel on Highway 50 or Pioneer Trail can be avoided.
“By minimizing the number of streets you cross it makes it easier to choose not to be in your car,” Sue Rae Irelan said Thursday night at an open house at Lake Tahoe Community College about the project.
Irelan, who works for the California Tahoe Conservancy, has been leading the charge on this multi-use trail that one day will go from Meyers to Stateline. For now, the project is approved from Sierra Tract to Van Sickle Bi-State Park.
Sue Rae Irelan with the California Tahoe Conservancy talks Jan. 7 about the next phase of the Greenway trail. Photo/Kathryn Reed
“Winter access is really important in Tahoe,” Sue Rae Irelan said.
This year the Conservancy, South Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Community College are expected to complete a land swap that will allow the next phase of the project to go forward. No money will be exchanged.
The next segment, which should break ground in 2019, will be one mile of trail that starts at Bijou Meadow and connects to Bijou Community Park, and crosses Al Tahoe Boulevard to connect to Lake Tahoe Community College and the community ball field.
The one mile that will be built in the next few years has a $4 million price tag.
Money for this phase comes from:
· CTC — $1 million
· LTCC Measure F — $700,000
· Tahoe Transportation District — $400,000
· State grant — $1.9 million.
“This is the most expensive part of the project because of the bridge,” Irelan said.
A 150- to 175-foot span will cross Trout Creek. Then boardwalk will be in the meadow to protect the sensitive terrain.
Much of the trail follows user created trails. The new trail is 10 feet wide, meets ADA requirements and is paved.
Flashing lights will be installed on Al Tahoe, and at Martin and Barbara avenues to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians to cross those streets to continue on the path.
Winter use of the trail remains uncertain.
“The Conservancy doesn’t plow. We are actively talking to the city about how to cooperatively maintain all of the trails,” Irelan said. “Winter access is really important in Tahoe.”
The challenge is how to pay for it.
In 2015, 0.42 miles of the Greenway was built between Herbert Avenue and Glenwood Way.
Future sections include going from Herbert to Ski Run Boulevard, and then from Ski Run to Van Sickle. When those are completed the trail will be 3.86 miles long.
Funding is the obstacle that must be overcome in order for the next phases to commence.
Because there has been a change in the alignment since the project was initially approved there needs to be an amendment to the environmental documents. The revised CEQA document should be released this month for a 30-day public comment period.
I think this Greenway Project is great – I just wish it could break ground sooner tha 2019! (I’m getting OLD.). Maybe the City could look for more grants and Federal funding because bike & pedestrian (including ADA) accessibility is so limited in SLT. Very dangerous to try walking or biking on Pioneer Trail or Hwy 50, which so many visitors to Snow Globe had to do! Please go back to the funding arena and try to get this project started ASAP!
“Old” people need to get out of the way. You were ‘young’ once…aging is not for sissies.
That being said this is not a retirement community. Go south to a Del Webb retirement community. You all know Del E Webb. He built the Sahara Tahoe in 1965.. the same year the City of South Lake Tahoe was incorporated.
Please go back to the funding arena! More money…oh good…lets figure out where ALL the MILLIONS are being spent NOW before we dip in for MORE.
BTW…does anyone here know how much this snow removal equipment costs, include drivers, insurance and all the support goodies that go with it.
OLD people go south to the GOLF courses…leave the youngsters alone
The City should focus on improved city street removal before embarking on winter bike trail snow plowing. Stick to the basics first, then indulge in fantasy.
As a year round bike rider, I see very few other bikers in the winter on icy streets and paths.
Robin you are a wacko. Your posts are rambling and incoherent. Please just stop. “Not a retirement community” how insulting.
Robin I hope you feel the same way about elderly people when you are one.
MY Thoughts…I do and I am.
AROD…feel free to not read my comments:)
Robin are you going to follow your own advice and go south since you are elderly and this is no place for the elderly to live?
Robin Smith,
Old people should leave Tahoe and get out of the way? Who the heck are you to proclaim such bat guano crazy nonsense? Your omnipresent opinions on every article are what this forum is going to devolve to next month I’m afraid.
This Greenway Project is the kind of thing that takes our community in the right direction. This is the quality of life future that the next generations of Tahoans will thank us old decrepit seniors for.
Robin Smith:
The trails that are being proposed and constructed are for bicycle use and pedestrian use by both young and old individuals, and I agree with AROD that your posts are insulting. You’ve said before that you were a special education teacher but if the way you interact with people on this site is indicative of how you interacted with those special education students I can only wonder what impact you really had on those poor souls.
Spouse – 4-mer-usmc
Spouse…Two Washington DC ‘teachers of the year’ each supervised my student teaching. A- and B+ ;)~
Comments are matter of fact perhaps, rude never.
R. Smith-What year was this supposed student teaching? -I know several Spec. Ed. teachers here in town and they never heard of you-they said you were possibly a teacher’s aide but could not recall you ever working around here like you said you did-I call BS on this-of course not just this
Robin Smith:
You don’t get to decide for me if I find your comments insulting and rude. But you as a retired individual should perhaps take your own advice and go south since you think Tahoe isn’t for old people.
Spouse – 4-mer-usmc
Tea,
Let’s be perfectly clear on this. I’ve never said I worked here as a LTUSD teacher. NEVER said anything like that.
What I did say was that my credentials are in Special Education, which they are.
Spouse,
Let’s be perfectly clear on this. I’ve never said that I was retired. NEVER said anything like that.
What I did say was that I was old. Which I am.
Robin said she was a student teacher in Washington DC. Since you state you are giving facts, where are they that elderly people shouldn’t live here. I don’t see any only your opinion that they shouldn’t. Robin if you say you are giving facts about a subject please present them and people might think what you say is believable. Right now you are just someone with an opinion about every subject on this site.
My Thoughts…”Right now you are just someone with an opinion….”
Yes, and it is understood that everyone commenting has a right to their opinion.
Opinions are like Robins-every spring has one
What does this article have to do with old people ?
A lot of these nonmotorized pathways get students to school. I don’t know where these student will put their skis once at school because a pathway wasn’t cleared.
And this story was about what?
Let’s keep on subject with your comments.
It just seamed to get lost in all the bashing?
Rooster….seamed?…nope…seemed.
That’s the problem…how is this non motorized ‘pathway’ going to get cleared in the winter? or is it just for summer use?
MONEY once again! Build build build but the pathway has to be ‘maintained’ in the winter,
According to the article the Conservancy does’t plow so it’s back to the City for MORE MONEY!
The City is already into the Feds 1.9 MILLION for 3.86 miles of pathway GR8!!
This City looks to be bankrupt. There is at this time nothing that shows differently.
You people seem to think FEDERAL and STATE MONEY IS FREE….not FREE PEOPLE
Rooster, go to the 5th comment and you will find that AROD took up personal name calling saying that I should not comment. The ‘personal’ attacks started there.
Now you would like to join in?
Robin Smith, Saying you are wacko is not name calling is it? Isn’t that more of an observation on your character. You do comment on almost everything. Saying your opinion is wacko is just stating another opinion about your opinion. I think a special ed teacher could figure that out.
Fish,
The opinions expressed here are supposed to be about the article/s presented by LTN.
Not about your opinions of other posters or their opinions.
RS, you throw yourself out there and make comments on EVERYTHING. Maybe if you held back a little bit on what you comment about, you might not get opinions on your opinion.
Fish? LOL…
Do KNOCK yourself out..the other people on the board and LTN love it
Who are other people, The mice in your pocket? YOU checked your ratings? Narcism is nice, isn’t it?
Fish….narcissism….spell check when in doubt;)~
you took the bait, as usual
Advice for Robyn; https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4a/1e/97/4a1e97dc61ad8100ecb31ff98f0b3559.jpg
Bombastic know-it-alls often ruin such forums as this one. Of course with “pay to play” coming, it’s guaranteed.
Robin,
There is a property tax that pays for snow removal on nonmotorized paths in the city at minimum.
perry are you sure about that? it was my understanding that that tax on my property bill was for snow removal equipement replacement.
Just when we need OLS the most………………
Relo,
Absolutely positive property taxes pay for snow removal on nonmotorized pathways. At the current time the money is allocated to new and rebuilt pathways, hence, not all pathways are cleared of snow.
Joint Powers Authority might control the budget.