By Kathryn Reed

The 20-year-old Al Tahoe bike trail is going to look and feel brand new by the end of summer.

South Lake Tahoe Parks and Recreation Director Gary Moore said the trail from Johnson Boulevard to Pioneer Trail was almost closed because of the terrible condition it is in. He called this the worst section of Class I trail in the city.

Cycling on the Al Tahoe bike path in South Tahoe is about to be smoother. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The 1.1 miles are filled with cracks, weeds growing between some of them, quite a number of ant hills bringing dirt onto the path and bumps that weren’t there when the asphalt was first laid. It rides more like a mountain bike trail than something road bike riders would want to pedal on.

With the bid for paving on the actual road coming in below expectations, there was leftover money, so to speak, so the bike trail gets to be overhauled.

Construction will begin July 13. Expect delays as the road is reduced to one lane.

When the project is completed the bike path will meet today’s higher specifications. Twenty years ago no base work was required.

Granite Construction of Watsonville will be doing the work on the road and trail at the same time.

The City Council had budgeted nearly $1.2 million for the pavement project. The bid came in at $605,605, which left money in city coffers to re-do the bike trail. The bike trail will cost about $143,000 to reconstruct.