Policymakers say innovative transportation plans are necessary for Lake Tahoe's future
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 08/27/2015 - 11:02am
Wildfire and invasive species weren't the only topics of this year's Lake Tahoe Summit held earlier this week. The future of transportation at the lake was also addressed with speakers affirming the need for improved roadways and access to alternative methods of transportation.
Carlos Monje Jr., the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, shared his background of growing up on Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans with its brown water and unsafe swimming conditions. Nobody protected the lake, though recent efforts have begun to bring it back to health.
"The federal government is a big part of the effort in Lake Tahoe," said Monje. "Many other lakes in the U.S., like Pontchartrain, didn't get the protection Lake Tahoe has."
By the early 1960s architects had sketched out plans for a city the size of San Francisco ringing Tahoe’s shores. Highway planners proposed four-lane freeways around the lakeshore and a concrete bridge spanning Emerald Bay.
If this had happened, Lake Tahoe wouldn't be the pristine area that it is, with 75 feet of clarity in the lake and by attracting hundreds of thousands of people a year to not only take in the view, but to enjoy recreational opportunities.
"You need local leadership and strong government to make it work," said Monje.
California and Nevada have come together to jointly work on ways to protect Lake Tahoe, and a large focus of current, bipartisan efforts are on transportation. Monday's Lake Tahoe Summit affirmed the commitment among lawmakers to protect Lake Tahoe from declining water clarity, and the risk of wildfires and the threat of invasive species,
With demands on transportation increasing, California and Nevada need to concentrate on innovation on road use as well as bike and walking trails to continue to have a clear lake. More runoff from roads and more use of the roads surrounding the lake contribute to declining clarity of the lake and increased invasive species on the nearshore.
Monje said the government will continue to provide communities with planning grants, promote green efforts to control run off and plans to get cars off the roads through congestion management.
How much they'll fund will be made clear when the House and Senate prepare to vote on their versions of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.
In the meantime, Tahoe Transportation District is moving forward with the Tahoe City "Y" reconfiguration as well as the Loop Road Project in South Lake Tahoe. Nevada Governor Sandoval will continue the bus route to Sand Harbor State Park to ease traffic on Highway 28 and the Stateline to Stateline Bike Path work continues.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on road projects around the lake, most for stormwater management projects with curbs and gutters. It will take robust funding from Washington, D.C. to complete the long list of transportation projects in the Lake Tahoe basin.
Go here for the original story at South Tahoe Now.
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