EDC eager to make improvements in Meyers

El Dorado County wants to make upgrades in Meyers. Photo/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

El Dorado County is on course to make improvements to Meyers in regards to aesthetics and how the highway functions.

While Caltrans is the ultimate decision maker on what goes on with Highway 50, the county has some say about what occurs. The county is using its $61,000 federal On Our Way Grant to figure out how best to make the Meyers corridor – from Highway 89 to Pioneer Trail — look and function better.

The county isn’t doing this alone. Instead of having a public meeting to gather ideas, officials are going to engage the public at various locations.

Safety in terms of access to the magnet elementary school and crossing the highway are the county’s main concerns. Officials also want to make the section into more of a complete streets concept, which includes landscaping.

“We’ve been working with Caltrans really closely with all of this. They seem to be open to concepts, at least what we are talking about,” Brendan Ferry, county transportation guru, told Lake Tahoe News.

The county is focusing on how it might be able to improve the intersection at either Apache Avenue or Pioneer Trail. Caltrans is already planning to build a roundabout at highways 50 and 89.

The problem at Apache is that this is where so many kids cross to get to the elementary school. It’s unsafe, with people often going faster than the 45 mph posted speed limit. Pioneer Trail and the highway intersection have multiple issues – from being a bottleneck on busy days, to not being functional for those on foot or two wheels.

While Meyers is working under a community plan from 1993, much of what is in it and what has been proposed for the update involves creating more of a main street feel through town, improved accessibility and logical connectivity.

“These concepts exist whether the area plan moves forward or not,” Ferry said. That is why it is not a conflict for the county to proceed with plans even though it is working to update the area plan.

The county wants to identify a project soon so it can apply for a grant this summer. The grant, which is due in June, would be funded by the feds and funneled through Caltrans. If El Dorado were to get full funding for a project, it’s possible work could begin in 2017.

“We are just really excited to try to help improve Meyers, especially from safety and access issues,” Ferry said.

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Notes:

People will be soliciting comments about the county’s plans for Meyers on April 22 from 11:30am-1:30pm at Century 21; 3-4pm at the magnet school; 4:15-6:15pm at Lira’s.

There will be a booth at the Earth Day festival at Bijou Community Park from 10am-3pm where more comments will be solicited.

For more info, contact Brendan Ferry at brendan.ferry@edcgov.us.