Placer County Board of Supervisors last week approved $413,000 in upgrades for North Lake Tahoe’s popular Speedboat Beach.

Improvements will include a permanent restroom to replace existing port-a-potties, reconstruction of the wooden staircase that provides access to the beach from Harbor Avenue, a new beach overlook, walkway improvements and signage.

The signage will include a welcome sign, an interpretive sign describing the local ecosystem and a regulations panel to identify beach rules.

The cost of the project also includes preservation of a complex drainage system to reduce sediment into Lake Tahoe, a new retaining wall and custom metal fabrication for the flight of stairs.

Construction is expected to begin in late July or early August and be completed in October.

Parking is still expected to be limited during the summer. TART’s bus stop on Highway 28 at the Tahoe Biltmore shelter is the closest to Speedboat Beach’s Harbor Avenue access road.