Bike Path Planned for US 50 in Lake Tahoe

By Charles Pekow – U.S. Route 50 in the Tahoe area will be getting some new and improved bike lanes in both Nevada and California. Federal, state and local authorities approved a project to realign the highway after it passed environmental reviews.
The area stretches about 1.1 miles in South Lake Tahoe, CA and Stateline, NV. “Currently, there are no bicycle lanes on US 50 through the project area,” which hinders economic development, notes the Environmental Impact Report on the Project. (https://www.tahoetransportation.org/images/assets/Hwy50/EIR-EIS-EIS/Final/US-50-Loop-FEIR-EIS-EIS-Vol.1.pdf )
The plan calls for a cycletrack between Park Avenue and Lake Parkway in the tourist area, and auto lanes would be reduced to one in each direction. The plan also calls for a connecting bike path between the state line and Round Hill Pines Beach Resort in Zephyr Cove, NV. Plans call for an eventual Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway around the entire Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, connecting to the Route 50 track and the Linear Park trail. The latter trail may need to be closed or rerouted during construction. Construction still requires funding to be allocated.
The project can only be stopped legally if challenged in court before January 31, 2020.