STATELINE, Nev. — The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has awarded $11.1 million to seven critical transportation projects across the Tahoe Region, the agency announced Wednesday.

The projects will improve safety and advance climate resilience at Lake Tahoe by reducing congestion, expanding regional trails, providing free transit, and supporting equitable recreation access, said a TRPA press release.

As Lake Tahoe’s federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, TRPA is responsible for managing federal and state transportation funds through the Linking Tahoe Regional Grant Program. Those federal and state programs help fund and implement transportation projects and the Lake Tahoe Regional Transportation Plan that connect people and places in ways that reduce reliance on the private automobile.

“These funds will improve safety and the climate resilience of the Tahoe region by promoting walkable, bikeable town centers that better serve residents and visitors,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “We are grateful to our federal delegation and state partners for making these funds available and to the many agencies in California and Nevada getting transportation improvements on the ground.” 

The 2023 Regional Grant Program is funding the following projects across the Tahoe Region: 

• Kings Beach Western Approach ($1,500,000): Roundabout and pedestrian improvements at the intersection of Highway 267 and state Route 28
• Apache Avenue Pedestrian Safety and Connectivity ($1,701,000): Extending the sidewalks on Apache Avenue in Meyers
• Pioneer Trail/U.S. Highway 50 Intersection Safety Improvement ($3,675,000): Construction of a roundabout and pedestrian crossings at US 50 and Pioneer Trail 
• Pioneer Trail Pedestrian Improvement Project Phase II ($1,200,000): Extending sidewalks and bike paths along Pioneer Trail
• Microtransit EV Charging Base Station ($269,956): Electrifying Lake Link in South Shore
• North Tahoe Shared-Use Trail ($1,826,802): Bike path connecting Dollar Hill to North Tahoe Regional Park
• Free-to-the-User Transit Program ($1,000,000): Free-to-the-user transit in South Lake Tahoe 

Projects funded through the Linking Tahoe Regional Grant Program advance implementation of the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and 2020 Lake Tahoe Regional Transportation Plan. The Lake Tahoe partnership that advocates for the Environmental Improvement Program helped secure the federal funds which have supported the Regional Grant Program, delivering $42.6 million in additional transportation improvements at Lake Tahoe over the last seven years.

Source: TRPA