Kahle Drive Complete Streets Project will improve water quality, safety, and recreation
Lake Tahoe, Nev./Calif. – A transformative project on Kahle Drive in Stateline, Nev. is beginning this week, and agencies are asking residents and users of the area to be alert and prepare for temporary changes to access and conditions in work zones.
The Nevada Tahoe Conservation District (NTCD) is leading the Kahle Drive Complete Streets Project to construct a new streetscape along the entire Kahle Drive corridor. The project includes water quality improvements, sidewalks and pedestrian crosswalks, a bike lane, landscaping, undergrounding of utility lines, and enhanced access to recreation and open space. This half-mile road provides key connections to the Stateline-to-Stateline bike trail, trails throughout Rabe Meadow, and Douglas County service centers.
The road was originally built on a wetland that provided multiple environmental benefits including protecting Lake Tahoe’s famed clarity. The road surface is also in poor condition, is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, and lacks stormwater infrastructure needed to keep fine sediment and other pollutants out of the lake. The project will also raise a portion of the roadway to help restore some of the natural function of the wetland.
The environmental improvements will dovetail with completed and ongoing Environmental Improvement Program projects to restore the Burke Creek Watershed and Rabe Meadow—known to the native Washoe people as Lam Watah—an important area historically used for processing and preparing food for winter. The project is expected to finish by October 2026.
Funding and support for the project are being provided by NTCD, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Nevada Division of State Lands, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Douglas County, and the Oliver Park General Improvement District. Additional federal funding was provided through a Congressionally Directed Spending request.
Private sector support is also being provided by the Tahoe Fund, NV Energy, and Barton Health, which is allowing project staging on the vacant parcel formerly occupied by the Lakeside Inn & Casino.
More information about the project is available on the NTCD project page.
Images
-
- Caption: Architectural drawing of Kahle Drive after the Complete Streets Project. A portion of the roadway will be raised out of the wetland to help restore some of the natural function of the watershed. Credit: NTCD
-
- Caption: Rendering of Kahle Drive after the Complete Streets Project. The project includes stormwater control, underground utilities, sidewalks and pedestrian crosswalks, landscaping, and enhanced access to recreation and open space. Credit: NTCD
-
- Caption: Lower Kahle Drive regularly floods with partially untreated stormwater and runoff from the upper neighborhood. Credit: NTCD
-
- Caption: Stormwater infiltration systems in the Tahoe Basin like this earlier project on Kahle Drive are helping keep more than 500,000 lbs. of fine sediment and other pollutants out of Lake Tahoe every year. The Kahle Drive Complete Streets Project will tie in with completed and ongoing restoration projects in the Burke Creek Watershed and Rabe Meadow. Credit: NTCD
###
The Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program is an unparalleled partnership working to achieve the environmental goals of the region. Local, state, and federal government agencies, private entities, scientists, and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California have collaborated for more than 25 years to restore the environmental health of Lake Tahoe. The prime directive of the EIP is to move the Tahoe Basin closer to environmental threshold attainment. For media inquiries, contact Jeff Cowen, Public Information Officer, at (775) 589-5278, or jcowen@trpa.gov.