Highway 50 to Lake Tahoe closes for 2 weeks

PLACERVILLE — State transportation crews are closing a stretch of Highway 50 in the mountains leading to South Lake Tahoe to repair the aging walls that protect vehicles from the steep drop.

Transportation officials say Highway 50 over Echo Summit shut down at noon today and will remain closed for two weeks. There won't be any traffic on the two-lane highway from Phillips to Meyers.

Officials say the crumbling retaining walls, built in the 1930s, no longer meet federal safety guidelines. They say the road wasn't made to accommodate larger modern vehicles such as SUVs, motorhomes and buses.

Crews will replace the 18-inch rock walls and raise them to 32 inches.

The $6 million project will force motorists to take a 35-mile detour through historic Gold Rush towns on Highway 49.