Tahoe’s Highway 28 up for $25 million in federal funding

Highway 28 is a finalist for $25 million in federal funding, the Tahoe Transportation District announced on Thursday.

The district recently received notification that proposed projects along Lake Tahoe’s East Shore State Route 28 recreational corridor are finalists for funding by the Federal Lands Access Program.

The program could award $25 million, with a direct match by state and local funds, to the projects represented in the SR 28 Corridor Management Plan. The decision will be announced in December.

The combined $50 million would allow multiple projects to be developed at the same time, addressing safety, environmental and recreational access challenges of this section of the federally designated “State Route 28 Scenic Byway.”

The plan’s proposed actions include an expanded East Shore Express transit service, emergency/slow vehicle pullouts, new viewpoints and relocation of shoulder-parking to off-highway areas, all connected by 11 miles of biking/walking paths.

The new path, branded as “America’s Most Beautiful Bikeway,” will be separated from the highway.

The plan also proposes combining excavation for an eight-mile section of the bikeway and an Incline Village General Improvement District effluent export pipeline, which will benefit both the project and the local community.

The federal program supports public roads, transit systems and other transportation facilities, with an emphasis on high-use recreation sites and economic generators.

The application originated with one of the district’s partners in this joint effort, the Nevada Department of Transportation. Other partners include the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Forest Service, Nevada Division of State Parks, State of Nevada Division of State Lands, Carson City Regional Transportation Commission, Nevada Highway Patrol, County of Douglas, County of Washoe, IVGID and Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

“A safer, pedestrian-friendly Highway 28 corridor with transportation choices can only be achieved by agencies working together,” District Manager Carl Hasty said.

“This is also the beginning of a new era in regional transportation planning and implementation, reinforcing the themes of economic revitalization and connectivity from the recent Lake Tahoe Summit.”