Delays on Hwy. 50 in SLT about to get worse

Motorists can expect longer delays on a section of Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe beginning next week because lane restrictions will be increased.

Work has been suspended for the Labor Day weekend.

Beginning Tuesday at 12:01am the contractor is permitted to reduce the highway to one open lane in each direction around the clock until 11am on Fridays. The work schedule for the remainder of the construction season will be around the clock from midnight Sunday to 11am Friday. Motorists can expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

Construction on the $56 million water-quality improvement project is taking place from the Y to Winnemucca Avenue this season. This is the first of three phases. The project will eventually extend to Trout Creek, covering two miles of the highway with new drainage filtration systems, curbs and gutters, new sidewalks, a wider highway to include 6-foot shoulders on each side, and a new roadway surface. Completion is expected in fall 2019.