When Caltrans completes the $108 million project it started this week on Highway 50, it may mean an easier drive into South Lake Tahoe.

The idea is to unclog traffic congestion and reduce air pollution by adding 15 lane miles of bus-carpool lanes on Highway 50 between Watt Avenue in Sacramento and Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova.

“Extending the bus-carpool lane will have an immediate impact for more than 180,000 drivers commuting on the Highway 50 corridor,” Caltrans Director Randell Iwasaki said in a press release. “When this project is completed, motorists who carpool or ride a bus between Sacramento and El Dorado County will save more than 30 minutes travel time a day during the morning and afternoon weekday commutes.”