Title
Department of Transportation recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 038-2022 sanctioning temporary right turn restrictions from Sawmill Road and North Upper Truckee Road onto Highway 50 from May 2022 through October 2022.
FUNDING: Road Fund (100%).
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
In August of 2019, a proposal was presented to the Department of Transportation (Transportation) by a Meyers neighborhood committee to restrict twenty-one (21) different turning movements from County roadways onto U.S. Highway 50 and State Route 89. The purpose of these proposed restrictions was to increase public safety and facilitate the orderly movement of tourist traffic leaving the Tahoe Basin, in all weather conditions, during peak weekend and holiday traffic periods. On September 5, 2019, a proposal was presented at the South Lake Tahoe Traffic Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting. The Committee requested Transportation perform an Engineering and Traffic Study at one or two locations for potential turn restrictions. Transportation determined the focus needs to be on a) whether or not tourist traffic is being successfully relocated back onto U.S. Highway 50, b) whether or not emergency vehicle response time is improved c) if there are any other unforeseen issues or traffic safety issues that would be made worse by the proposed turn restrictions.
The limited scope provided two intersection locations where turning movement restrictions were studied. The first location was North Upper Truckee Road at U.S. Highway 50, and the second location was Sawmill Road at U.S. Highway 50. Currently, there are not any turn restrictions at these two locations. A turning movement count was conducted by Transportation on September 15, 2019, at both locations. During the three (3) hour turning movement count on North Upper Truckee Road, during the peak hourly period from 11:45 am to 12:45 pm, 226 vehicles entered the intersection from North Upper Truc...
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