Expect delays along Highway 50 West at Cave Rock

Motorists can expect delays of up to 20 minutes through Friday along Highway 50 West at Cave Rock as the Nevada Department of Transportation begins work on a $2.3 million tunnel rehab project.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane through the tunnel as crews set to widen the road, replace paving, reconstruct a median, and install decorative rock.

The rehab is slated to end June 24, with delays expected throughout the duration of the project, said NDOT spokesman Scott Magruder. Construction through Friday will force the closure of the eastbound tunnel, with flaggers on the road signaling for people to slow down and merge into the westbound lane. Reno-based Granite Construction is in charge of the project.

Barriers made with stamped concrete to match the color of Cave Rock will be installed at entrances of both sides of the old volcano core.

Installing roadside barriers that better blend with the natural environment is being done to meet Tahoe Regional Planning Agency guidelines, but also out of respect for the Washoe tribe, which considers Cave Rock a sacred place.

The work will involve removal of some guard rails near the tunnels, but the project is distinct from a project planned by NDOT that calls for a new guardrail and a rumble strip project along Highway 50 between Spooner Summit and Glenbrook.

That safety project, still in the design phase, stirred up controversy at the TRPA in December because of scenic issues regarding the guardrail and noise issues involved with the rumble strips.

Apart from the barriers, the project calls for improved drainage in the Cave Rock tunnels, particularly in the northbound tunnel where water collects and forms into ice during the winter.

NDOT has also given clearance for minor intersection work, also set to begin this week at the intersection of Highway 50 and State Route 28.

Meanwhile, NDOT is ready to launch its third and final year of installing support walls from Bourne Meadow to Zephyr Cove. The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 15.

The roadwork is being funded with a mix of federal and state dollars: nearly $8 million from the federal government, $2.8 million from the 1996 Nevada Tahoe Bond Act and $700,000 from NDOT.

n Nevada Appeal News Service writer Greg Crofton contributed to this story.