Tahoe Route 28 project begins second phase Tuesday

INCLINE VILLAGE " Local motorists and Tahoe commuters should be prepared for half-hour delays as the second phase of the $5 million Nevada Department of Transportation State Route 28 resurfacing project begins Tuesday.

The project's second phase involves one lane of traffic control until July 2 on Route 28 from Sand Harbor to the East Lakeshore Boulevard intersection. Motorists should expect up to 30-minute delays at times, said NDOT spokesman Scott Magruder.

"Wednesday morning, people will start seeing delays; we wanted to wait until Tuesday night, after all the Memorial Day traffic gets out," Magruder said. "We'll do our best effort to keep delays down to 20 minutes or less; it really depends on the time of day when delays could be longer."

Much the like the just-completed first phase, the single-lane control will take place between 7 p.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Friday. The plan remains to keep the road open without delays on the weekend, Magruder said.

The first phase was completed, on schedule, at 5 a.m. Friday. It had completely shut down eight miles of Route 28 between Sand Harbor and the U.S. Route 50 intersection the past three weeks, between 7 p.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Friday.

Granite Construction, which is contracted for the entire project, finished phase one with no delays and few complaints from motorists, Magruder said.

"I have been waiting for this day," said a laughing Magruder in a Friday phone interview. "From talking to the project manager, it all went exactly according to plan. And they got down a really good, quality surface. Without having a lot of traffic on the road, because of the full closure, it allowed for a really good layer of asphalt."

As for phase two, Magruder said If Granite cannot finish by July 2, in time for the Fourth of July Weekend, NDOT will levy a $15,000-per day fine against the contractor until work is completed.