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ENLARGE
A look at the State Route 28 corridor near Coon Street in Kings Beach.
KINGS BEACH, Calif. — The long-running debate between three or four lanes of traffic on State Route 28 could be decided by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in January.
The Kings Beach Commercial Core Project, as proposed by Placer County Planning staff, would reduce Highway 28 through Kings Beach to three lanes (two traffic lanes and one center turn lane) with roundabouts at intersections. The project was first voted down on June 25, 2008, by the TRPA governing board, and it subsequently was approved on July 22, 2008, the Placer County Board of Supervisors.
TRPA then chose July 23 to reconsider the three-lane proposal, requesting additional studies on the project's potential impacts on the Kings Beach grid neighborhood and noise, which have been completed, meaning the board could make its final decision at its Jan. 28 meeting at The Chateau.
“We are currently getting ready to present our project to the TRPA for their hopeful approval. We are imminently releasing the final environmental impact statement supplement, which is an addition to the final environmental impact statement approved by the board,” said Peter Kraatz, deputy director of public works for Placer County. “We are very hopeful that it will be accepted.”
The June 25, 2008, vote saw the governing board vote down the proposal, 7-6. Two of the project opponents from TRPA's governing board in Summer 2008 — former Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz and Tim Leslie — are no longer on the board, which has some new members, including Placer County Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery, Washoe County (Nevada) Commissioner John Breternitz and Josh Reid, President Barack Obama's appointee.
“We never know what the board is going to do — it's up to them,” said TRPA spokesman Dennis Oliver. “Both sides have been very vocal; it's a big decision.”
Theresa May Duggan, a north shore resident, said she is for the three-lane project.
“It's the intersection of good planning, and that's good for the community, good for business and good for Lake Tahoe,” Duggan said. “I really think we'll have a community supported project.”
But the Kings Beach Business and Citizens Alliance, who dropped their lawsuit against the project this past summer, still opposes the three-lane option and supports a four-lane project with traffic lights, said Dave McClure, president of the group.
He said the group paid for a study on a single-lane roundabout at Coon Street, which will be released shortly.
“It shows that the congestion created will make the roundabout fail much worse than Placer County is telling the public,” McClure said.
But the issue isn't traffic congestion; it's pedestrian safety, said Emilio Vaca of the North Tahoe Family Resource Center, who has been involved in the project for five years.
“We've seen kids who've been hit on the main road,” Vaca said. “I'd say that the kids and families right now are victims of not having a community traffic plan.”
The Kings Beach Commercial Core Project, as proposed by Placer County Planning staff, would reduce Highway 28 through Kings Beach to three lanes (two traffic lanes and one center turn lane) with roundabouts at intersections. The project was first voted down on June 25, 2008, by the TRPA governing board, and it subsequently was approved on July 22, 2008, the Placer County Board of Supervisors.
TRPA then chose July 23 to reconsider the three-lane proposal, requesting additional studies on the project's potential impacts on the Kings Beach grid neighborhood and noise, which have been completed, meaning the board could make its final decision at its Jan. 28 meeting at The Chateau.
“We are currently getting ready to present our project to the TRPA for their hopeful approval. We are imminently releasing the final environmental impact statement supplement, which is an addition to the final environmental impact statement approved by the board,” said Peter Kraatz, deputy director of public works for Placer County. “We are very hopeful that it will be accepted.”
The June 25, 2008, vote saw the governing board vote down the proposal, 7-6. Two of the project opponents from TRPA's governing board in Summer 2008 — former Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz and Tim Leslie — are no longer on the board, which has some new members, including Placer County Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery, Washoe County (Nevada) Commissioner John Breternitz and Josh Reid, President Barack Obama's appointee.
“We never know what the board is going to do — it's up to them,” said TRPA spokesman Dennis Oliver. “Both sides have been very vocal; it's a big decision.”
Theresa May Duggan, a north shore resident, said she is for the three-lane project.
“It's the intersection of good planning, and that's good for the community, good for business and good for Lake Tahoe,” Duggan said. “I really think we'll have a community supported project.”
But the Kings Beach Business and Citizens Alliance, who dropped their lawsuit against the project this past summer, still opposes the three-lane option and supports a four-lane project with traffic lights, said Dave McClure, president of the group.
He said the group paid for a study on a single-lane roundabout at Coon Street, which will be released shortly.
“It shows that the congestion created will make the roundabout fail much worse than Placer County is telling the public,” McClure said.
But the issue isn't traffic congestion; it's pedestrian safety, said Emilio Vaca of the North Tahoe Family Resource Center, who has been involved in the project for five years.
“We've seen kids who've been hit on the main road,” Vaca said. “I'd say that the kids and families right now are victims of not having a community traffic plan.”
