Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Environment
  •  

Tahoe Transportation Plan Works To Improve Lake Clarity And End Gridlock

  •  Randol White 
Thursday, July 20, 2017 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Nevada Department of Transportation / Courtesy

Road work is being done on the shared-use path between Incline Village and Sand Harbor State Park.

Nevada Department of Transportation / Courtesy

The population at Lake Tahoe swells by up to five times its year-round population on busy summer weekends. The influx of tourists taxes an infrastructure designed for fewer people.

The problem started decades ago, when highways and city streets in the Tahoe basin were designed. Engineers laid out plans that were appropriate for smaller population levels and didn’t incorporate ways to mitigate how all of that pavement would funnel an unprecedented amount of fine sediment into Tahoe’s crystal-clear waters.

An effort by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency aims to fix the long-standing problem, while helping to restore the lake’s world-famous clarity.

071917Tahoe SiltP
Researchers use this Secchi disk to test the lake's water clarity levels. (Randol White / Capital Public Radio)


“People don’t come to Tahoe to sit in their cars in traffic,” says Tom Lotshaw, TRPA spokesman.

But on busy weekends, that’s exactly what they’re doing. Lotshaw says to help reduce that gridlock several transportation projects are underway around the lake, including one that connects Incline Village and Sand Harbor State Park.

“It’s one of the busier beaches at the lake,” says Lotshaw. “This whole corridor sees about a million people a year and 2.6 million vehicles.”

According to Lotshaw, the project along this stretch is a good example of the overall transportation vision.

“It kind of represents that whole bundled approach to recreation access, safety, there’s some water quality improvements that will be going in along the road and along the trail to try and capture some of that stormwater runoff that gets down into the lake and harms the clarity,” says Lotshaw. “So, all of that really bundled together into one project.”

Tahoe planners started working with individual communities several years ago to add more localized pedestrian, bicycle, and transit options. This next step works on the connections between those communities. Future plans would call for more public transit from large urban centers, like Sacramento and Reno.

But, even with a more robust system, some Tahoe residents say getting people to leave their cars at home could be the biggest challenge of all.

Tahoe Environmental Research Center Director Geoff Schladow says reducing the number of vehicles at Tahoe would provide benefits beyond just relieving traffic congestion.

071917Tahoe Int
Tahoe Environment Research Center Director Geoff Schladow talks to CapRadio's Randol White about Tahoe's clarity. (Randol White / Capital Public Radio)


“Cars, they stir up dust from the roads and that eventually gets to the lake. Most cars add nitrous oxides to the air, which ends up getting into the lake and being a major stimulant to algae,” says Schladow.

But Schladow believes we’re headed in the right direction. In fact, you could say he’s downright bullish about prospects for cleaning up Tahoe’s infrastructure issues.

“I’ve never been more excited about transportation than I am now,” says Schladow. “Five, 10 years ago, I think, to me anyway, the problem of transportation at Tahoe seemed almost insoluble. Now, there’s a lot of reason for optimism.”

Some Tahoe residents worry the transportation system envisioned may be too successful. Eric Beavers is a South Tahoe High School teacher, originally from Davis. He says he’s concerned the plan to redesign the basin’s infrastructure could have a negative outcome.

“It seems to me, some of these technical solutions are just going to lead to more people coming up to Tahoe, which means the technical solutions won’t really be solutions at all,” says Beavers.

Beavers says it’s time to start a conversation regarding Tahoe’s maximum population density, and whether there should be some planning for how to handle a growing number of people who want to visit or live in the region.

“It’s seems like we’re just pushing this conversation to our children and our grandchildren, that they’re going to have to face this question of — do we limit the number of people that come up here, do we say no cars, or do we let the lake turn into something that we’d rather it not turn into,” says Beavers.

The current 20-year Tahoe Regional Transportation Plan was updated and approved by the board back in April, and will be updated again in 2021.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

 environmenttahoelake tahoe

Randol White

All Things Considered Anchor/Reporter

Randol White is an award-winning, accomplished, and well-rounded broadcast journalist with more than two decades of radio, television, web and print experience.  Read Full Bio 

 @RandolWhite  Email Randol White

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Environment Stories

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Composting starts soon in Sacramento County. Here’s what you need to know.

June 29, 2022

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File

What the Supreme Court ruling means for the EPA's ability to fight climate change

June 30, 2022

Most Viewed

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Job cuts are rolling in. Here's who is feeling the most pain so far

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Job cuts are rolling in. Here's who is feeling the most pain so far

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.