Written by
Susan Voyles
The first leg of the "Stateline to Stateline" bikeway on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe is expected to be constructed next summer, connecting Stateline casinos on the south shore to Round Hill and Nevada beaches.
"Cool," was all that Washoe County Commissioner Robert Larkin had to say last week after hearing of plans to start building what someday could be a 30-mile bikeway from Crystal Bay to Stateline.
Karen Mullen, planning consultant for the Tahoe Transportation District, said she expects the 3.2-mile trail to be as popular as the bike trail at Camp Richardson and the bikeway from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley.
A federal environmental analysis of the proposed route was completed in June, paving the way for work to begin. A feasibility study for the entire bikeway was finished in August.
Using about $2.5 million in voter-approved state bond funds for the Stateline trail, the project is expected to be bid on in the spring. The second project will be another 3 miles between Sand Harbor State Park and Incline Village.
While it would be built in segments, the total bikeway would cost $91 million to build, including bridges, tunnels, trailhead parking and paving the trail.
The feasibility study found no major flaws that would stop the bikeway from being built, said Carl Hasty, Tahoe district manager. The trail must be kept a distance from osprey and goshawk nest sites.
"This is a high-level look," he said. "Then we start to address all the details."
The preferred route for the 30-mile pathway would run parallel to the highway most of the way and link with trails leading to Chimney Beach, Secret Harbor and other spots. The route would be built on a grade of less than 5 percent so the average healthy person can make the climb, Mullen said.
But depending on the environmental studies, Hasty said, the route could change.
For the Stateline bikeway, for instance, Hasty said the environmental analysis found it could cross a large meadow without significant harm, creating a more enjoyable bike ride than one right along U.S. 50.
County Commissioner John Breternitz, a Tahoe Transportation District board member, said he'd like to see plans for a bikeway to connect Crystal Bay with Incline Village, saying it could be used by people commuting to their jobs in Incline Village.
Hasty said the district will take up that issue soon, saying he believes there are some options.
"Cool," was all that Washoe County Commissioner Robert Larkin had to say last week after hearing of plans to start building what someday could be a 30-mile bikeway from Crystal Bay to Stateline.
Karen Mullen, planning consultant for the Tahoe Transportation District, said she expects the 3.2-mile trail to be as popular as the bike trail at Camp Richardson and the bikeway from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley.
A federal environmental analysis of the proposed route was completed in June, paving the way for work to begin. A feasibility study for the entire bikeway was finished in August.
Using about $2.5 million in voter-approved state bond funds for the Stateline trail, the project is expected to be bid on in the spring. The second project will be another 3 miles between Sand Harbor State Park and Incline Village.
While it would be built in segments, the total bikeway would cost $91 million to build, including bridges, tunnels, trailhead parking and paving the trail.
The feasibility study found no major flaws that would stop the bikeway from being built, said Carl Hasty, Tahoe district manager. The trail must be kept a distance from osprey and goshawk nest sites.
"This is a high-level look," he said. "Then we start to address all the details."
The preferred route for the 30-mile pathway would run parallel to the highway most of the way and link with trails leading to Chimney Beach, Secret Harbor and other spots. The route would be built on a grade of less than 5 percent so the average healthy person can make the climb, Mullen said.
But depending on the environmental studies, Hasty said, the route could change.
For the Stateline bikeway, for instance, Hasty said the environmental analysis found it could cross a large meadow without significant harm, creating a more enjoyable bike ride than one right along U.S. 50.
County Commissioner John Breternitz, a Tahoe Transportation District board member, said he'd like to see plans for a bikeway to connect Crystal Bay with Incline Village, saying it could be used by people commuting to their jobs in Incline Village.
Hasty said the district will take up that issue soon, saying he believes there are some options.
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