SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif – The City of South Lake Tahoe is sharing updates on major construction and infrastructure projects planned or underway during the 2026 construction season. These projects include road improvements, drainage work, shoreline protection, water quality improvements, and upgrades for walking and biking throughout the city.

2026 Road Rehabilitation
For 2026, we will be allocating $3.6 million for Road Rehabilitation. Funding for this project was made possible through the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA SB-1), City Measure S funds, and utility in-lieu fees. The following areas will be paved: Johnson Boulevard and several streets throughout the Al Tahoe neighborhood. This work is scheduled from late June through August 2026.

This project includes full roadway replacement on streets in the Al Tahoe neighborhood, and a new asphalt overlay on Johnson Boulevard to improve pavement conditions and ride quality. Paving on Johnson Boulevard has been completed. Additional paving projects will continue through August 2026.

2026 Sealing Project
The 2026 Sealing Project includes pavement preservation workon Pioneer Trail between US 50 and Larch Avenue, Al Tahoe Boulevard, and Eloise Avenue. Various sealing methods are being implemented to maintain our mid-condition roadways and prevent further deterioration. These treatments help protect road surfaces, prevent water intrusion, and reduce damage caused by freeze-thaw conditions. This construction contract is approximately $700,000 and is funded by Measure S. Construction is currently underway.

Upper Bijou Park Creek- Tamarack Culvert Replacement and Stream Environment Zone (SEZ) Enhancement Projects 

The Upper Bijou Park Creek Watershed Restoration Project is a watershed-scale effort seeking to address water quality and flooding issues through a phased approach to treat urban runoff from roadways, commercial areas, and residential neighborhoods within an approximately 850-acre watershed that discharges to Lake Tahoe.

The Upper Watershed Project contains nine subprojects within the Bijou Park Creek watershed. Two of the subprojects were constructed during the 2025 season. During the 2026 construction season, it is anticipated that the SEZ Enhancement Project will be constructed in the August to September timeframe.

The city was also successful in receiving construction funding through the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for another subproject, the Needle Peak Localized Treatment Project, which is anticipated to be constructed in 2027. The remaining subprojects will be bid and constructed when additional implementation funding is obtained.

El Dorado Beach Revetment and Improvement Project

The El Dorado Beach Revetment and Improvement Project is a three-phase effort to stabilize the shoreline at El Dorado Beach, protect the existing infrastructure of Lakeview Commons, and preserve access to the beach for the community.

The project will remove temporary plastic sandbags that were installed in 2018 as an emergency measure and replace them with a permanent shoreline stabilization system made of boulders, cobble, and sand.

• Phase 1 includes replenishing the beach to help prevent further deterioration of the sandbags and to allow for continued use of the beach. The first replenishments of the summer occurred on May 22 and June 23, 2026. Additional replenishment activities may occur throughout the summer until Phase 2 is implemented.
• Phase 2 will include removing the plastic sandbags, installing rock, and backfilling with sand to maintain a beach. Construction is anticipated to begin in September 2026 if favorable bids are received from contractors and funding is available.
• Phase 3 consists of potential additional improvements that will allow for preservation of a beach without further sand replenishment. Details are still to be determined after studies are completed and further conversations take place with regulatory agencies. This phase is currently unfunded.

Tahoe Valley Stormwater and Greenbelt Improvement Project Phase 2 

Phase 2 of the Tahoe Valley Stormwater and Greenbelt Improvement Project includes drainage and water quality improvements, naturalized play structures, and improved active transportation paths in the Greenbelt area behind The Crossing.

Construction began in 2025 and is anticipated to be finished in September 2026. Remaining work largely includes construction of the play area, paving of multi-use paths, installation of lighting, completion of stormwater improvements including pipe connections, inlets, and basin grading, and revegetation of the area.

Pioneer Trail Phase 2

This project is a pedestrian upgrade project on Pioneer Trail from Larch Avenue to Ski Run Boulevard. Construction began in 2025 and will conclude at the end of the 2026 construction season. Key aspects of this project are the addition of sidewalks along Pioneer Trail, as well as pedestrian lighting and bus shelters.

Bijou Park Connector

This project constructed a Class 1 bike path in Bijou Park that connects the Dennis Machida Memorial Greenway to the Class 1 bike path at the Al Tahoe Boulevard and Johnson Boulevard intersection. The project was completed in June 2026.

Citywide Pipe Replacement

 As part of the 2022 Condition Assessment report, it was determined that several of the storm drains in the Tahoe Keys are near failure. This is due to the highly saturated conditions and increased deterioration that occurs at high lake levels. The city is targeting failing storm drains in the Keys vicinity for replacement in the summer of 2026. Construction will likely begin after August 2026 when lake levels are lower and pending available funding.

Additionally, a pipe replacement will occur on Vanda Lee Way with inlet repairs occurring adjacent to Hwy 50 at 3rd Street and Lodi Avenue. There is also potential for installation of a rock underdrain to mitigate the spring runoff that is coming up out of the pavement on Pioneer Trail near Pony Express Road. The engineering and streets departments are coordinating work to achieve as many of these replacements as possible in the summer of 2026, pending available funding.

To learn more and stay informed about City Projects, visit www.cityofslt.gov/CityProjects.