Gardnerville Ranchos resident Jeff James took this photo of Carson Valley in 2011 from near the top of Kingsbury Grade. Access to the grade will be restricted until late this month.
Kingsbury Grade closes to through traffic today so crews can begin reconstructing the road at its summit.
The road is set to be closed near the summit just east of Tramway Drive until May 23, when it will be opened to accommodate Memorial Day traffic.
During the closure, people driving between Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe will have to use U.S. Highway 50 West to Spooner Summit, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation said. NDOT is making an exception for emergency and public-transportation vehicles.
“By closing Kingsbury Grade to through traffic during this short three-week period, our crews will be able to follow the aggressive schedule we have developed and complete the project in an accelerated 12-18 months,” said Project Manager Pedro Rodriguez.
Construction will resume May 27 and continue through the end of August, but Kingsbury will be open to through traffic. There will, however, be nighttime construction-related lane closures and delays during that period.
The $15 million project will reconstruct pavement and make a number of drainage improvements. In addition, there will be safety improvements including construction of sidewalks and installation of lighting at intersections near the summit and the entrance to Heavenly Valley ski resort.
Kingsbury Grade residents have received access passes they can use to pass the barrier at the top of Highway 207.
The passes were mailed by the Nevada Department of Transportation.
The operator of the BlueGo Bus is also getting ready for increased ridership with the closure of Kingsbury Grade on Thursday morning.
The Record-Courier contributed to this report.
