C A L I F O R N I A ’ S O L D E S T N E W S PA P E R – E S T. 18 51
Hope
VOLUME 169 • ISSUE 121 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
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Mountain Democrat photo by Dawn Hodson
It’s just a grassy slope now but the new onramp will leave from Forni Road and Ray Lawyer Drive and loop around onto Highway 50.
Eastbound Hwy 50 onramp coming Thomas Frey Staff writer An eastbound Highway 50 onramp at Ray Lawyer Drive is coming to the Western Placerville Interchanges. The project could be completed as soon as December 2021 at a cost of more than $3.09 million, according to an estimate provided by R.E.Y. Engineers. Funding comes from the California Transportation Commission’s Highway Operation Protection Program and Local Partnership Program as well as the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Infrastructure Program and county Traffic Impact Mitigation fees. At the Oct. 13 Placerville City Council meeting City Engineer Rebecca Neves said state and federal funds the city has received can only be used on this project. Bidding for the project will begin in November and the construction contract will be awarded at the first City Council meeting in December. Covering construction costs is $1.07 million in Local Partnership Program funds, $1 million from Highway Operation Protection Program and $944,946 from the El Dorado County Transportation Commission. Work will begin in January with tree clearing and utility relocations; heavy construction will follow. City officials said construction of the onramp will be completed in about half the time the eastbound offramp to Ray Lawyer Drive and new park-and-ride were built. Work on that phase of the project began in February 2018 and was completed by October 2019. The Western Placerville Interchange Project is the largest transportation project ever undertaken by the city. Officials have said the
Mountain Democrat photos by Krysten Kellum
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY — Hope Valley’s famous aspen glow in the sunlight along an old mining trail. The fall foliage in the high country is in full effect, this image captured Oct. 10, and the show should continue to stun visitors until rain or snow knocks the golden leaves to the ground.
▲SMILE! — Tourists set up for a family
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portrait in front of one of Hope Valley’s most photographed landscapes — a rustic cabin surrounded by an aspen grove.
FOLLOW THE FALL COLOR — The turning leaves line Highway 88 as it cuts through Hope Valley.
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See ONRAMP, page A3
Trail yea! Projects finished despite COVID-19, wildfires Laney Griffo Tahoe Daily Tribune Despite the challenges of COVID-19, increased tourism and smoke from wildfires, Lake Tahoe’s trail building and maintenance groups stayed busy this summer. The Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association, Tahoe Rim Trail Association and Community Mobility Workgroup each started new projects, made progress on or completed existing projects while also performing maintenance on existing trails. “Like everyone else in the world, 2020 was a crazy year for us,” said
Chris Binder, deputy director of the TRTA. “We definitely had a lot of challenges and had to think on our feet and come up with new ways to be successful.”
Projects TRTA had three major projects they were focusing on in addition to regular maintenance. The first project was a re-route on the section of the Rim Trail where it’s co-located with the Pacific Crest Trail near Echo Summit. “We’re in the third year of that project, taking the trail away from U.S. Highway 50 so you’re not walking literally in
sight and sound of the highway,” Binder said. He estimates the project will be done late this season or early next season. TRTA also picked up on a project in VanSickle Bi-State Park that was started several years ago called the K to K trail. When completed, the trail will start at the bottom of Kingsbury Grade, go through the state park and finish on Keller Drive near the Heavenly California Lodge. Binder said they stayed on target for their threeyear goal within the state park but completion of the project may take several additional years
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since they will have to build through private and U.S. Forest Service land. The final project was on the north side of Tahoe where they worked to re-route the trail that goes to Watson Lake. “The trail currently runs on the Forest Service road near the Watson Lake Campground,” Binder said. “So we took it off the Forest Service road onto some really nice single track trail so we’re not conflicting with the motorized use on that trail and giving people a better trail experience.” Binder said that project is nearing
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Volunteers work on a re-route near Marlette Lake. completion as well. Work had to be paused when fire season ramped up. When fire restrictions are in
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place, TRTA doesn’t use generators, chainsaws, rock drilling or n
See TAHOE TRAIL, page A2
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