$400M for SR 89/267 Ski Traffic? Let’s Prioritize North Tahoe’s Needs First, Not Tahoe Highway Expansion

Hey North Tahoe Neighbors, Let’s Talk About Our Roads (and Our Future)

We all live here, and we all know the feeling – trying to get around during a busy holiday weekend can be a real headache. Placer County is looking at a big plan to tackle this traffic on Highways 89 and 267, especially for folks heading to Palisades and Northstar. The idea is to add special lanes just for buses, spending potentially $400 million to do it.

Now, we appreciate the County staff putting serious thought into this. Traffic is a real issue. But here at Strong North Tahoe, we’ve got to ask the tough questions, straight up: Is this massive highway project, costing hundreds of millions, really the best way forward for us? For the people who live, work, and raise families here year-round?

What’s the $400 Million Plan, Really?

The latest plan isn’t just about patching potholes. It’s about adding whole new lanes dedicated to transit along Highway 89 from Truckee towards Tahoe City and on Highway 267 towards Northstar. The thinking is, this helps buses run faster and more reliably, maybe helps with evacuations, and gets more people out of their cars.

Sounds good on paper, right? But let’s be honest. When we look at the details, it feels like this plan is mostly designed to help weekend ski traffic get to the resorts quicker. That’s a lot of money – potentially $400 million of our collective resources (local, state, federal taxes) – focused on a problem that impacts visitors for a relatively small number of days each year.

Meanwhile, what about our daily needs?

• Are our kids safe walking to school?
• Can families easily walk to the grocery store?
• Are our existing local roads and sidewalks getting the basic maintenance they need?

Spending hundreds of millions on new highway lanes feels like skipping the fundamentals to build something fancy we might not even need, or worse, that might not even work.

Why We’re Concerned: A Strong Towns Look

Thinking like a Strong Town means asking hard questions about whether big projects actually make our community financially stronger and better to live in, or just create bigger problems down the road. Here’s what concerns us:

1. Will More Lanes = Less Traffic? Often, No. It’s a common trap called “induced demand.” When you make driving easier by adding lanes, more people tend to drive, filling up the new space. We could spend a fortune only to find traffic is just as bad, or worse. Just look at the Katy Freeway in Houston – they expanded it to a whopping 23 lanes, and travel times still got longer! Is that a smart investment?
2. Building for Cars, Not Our Community: This project pours money into pavement. It doesn’t do much for those of us who walk or bike, or for neighbors who don’t have a car. We need safe streets within our towns, connecting us to daily needs. That builds real community value.
3. The Financial Gamble: Where does $400 million come from? It’s not guaranteed. And we, the local community, will likely be on the hook for a big chunk, or face maintaining these new lanes forever. Is this the wisest way to spend our limited dollars when basic maintenance is already falling behind? Other places, like Oregon, have seen highway project costs balloon by billions, leaving taxpayers holding the bag. We need to be incredibly careful about taking on such massive financial risks.
4. Will It Even Work As Planned? The goal is more transit ridership, but the County’s own numbers show only a tiny predicted increase. And who will drive all these new buses? We’re already short on drivers! There’s a real risk these become just extra car lanes. Plus, does funneling more people faster to already packed resorts actually solve anything?
5. Who Really Benefits?: It seems the biggest winners are the ski resorts and the traffic they generate. We believe that those who create the peak demand should also be significant partners in funding the solutions.

What About Other Road Plans?

It’s also important to remember that the County’s plan is just one piece of the puzzle. We understand Caltrans (the state’s transportation department) has its own, separate projects in the works for state highways in our area. For instance, there are plans to extend the existing truck climbing lane on Highway 267 beyond Northstar Drive up towards Brockway Summit for a relatively short distance (about half a mile). This specific project targets trucks and buses on that steep grade. While addressing known challenging spots is necessary, these smaller, separate state projects don’t change the fundamental questions about the County’s much larger $400 million proposal for dedicated transit lanes along extended stretches of both highways. We need a cohesive vision, not just isolated projects, and that vision must prioritize our community’s overall health and financial stability.

A Better Path Forward: Focusing on North Tahoe First

We’re not just saying “no” to the County’s plan. We want to work with them. We believe in collaboration. But we need to collaborate on the right things – the projects that make North Tahoe stronger and better for the people who live here every day.

What if, instead of chasing a $400 million mega-project, we focused our energy and resources right here, right now? Here’s what that could look like:

• Fix What We Have: Let’s make maintaining our current roads, sidewalks, and paths our absolute top priority. No more potholes, unsafe crossings, or crumbling pavement. Take care of the basics first.
• Small Bets, Big Returns: Invest in smaller, smarter projects that make a real difference now. Think safer routes for kids walking to school. Better lighting on dark streets. Fixing that annoying local intersection. Making our town centers truly walkable and enjoyable. These projects build real wealth and improve our lives directly.
• Boost Transit Incrementally: Before building new bus lanes, let’s make the transit we have better. Can we run buses more often? Can we pilot some targeted shuttles during peak times? Let’s test what works and build on success, rather than taking a huge leap of faith.
• Manage Parking Smarter: Let’s get creative with parking in Tahoe City and Kings Beach. Shared lots, better signage, maybe paid parking in prime spots where the revenue goes directly back into local transit, paths, and road repairs. Let’s encourage people to park once and explore on foot.
• True Partnership: We want Placer County to succeed, and we want North Tahoe to thrive. Let’s work together to identify our community’s most pressing needs and tackle them with practical, affordable, and effective solutions.

Let’s Build a Stronger North Tahoe, Together

Spending potentially $400 million on widening Highways 89 and 267 is a massive decision with long-lasting consequences. We believe there’s a smarter, more responsible path – one that prioritizes the needs of our year-round community, builds financial strength from the ground up, and makes North Tahoe an even better place to live.

Let’s have that conversation. Let’s focus on North Tahoe’s needs first. Let’s build a truly Strong North Tahoe.

What do you think? Share your thoughts and let’s work together.