Pioneer Trail South Lake Tahoe (Old US 50 and the Lincoln Highway)

[Max Rockatansky]

Pioneer Trail was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road along the south shore of Lake Tahoe and was part of the first California State Highway adopted in 1895.  This corridor would eventually come to be known as Legislative Route Number 11 and would carry the Pioneer Route of the Lincoln Highway by 1913.  This corridor would become part of early US Route 50 in 1926 but would be bypassed by the alignment the highway presently takes by late-year 1929. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2025/04/pioneer-trail-pioneer-route-lincoln.html?m=1

[gonealookin]

A roundabout at the south intersection of Pioneer Trail and US 50, near Meyers, has been in the discussion and planning stages for many years, and I think the construction is on schedule for 2025-2026.  The design is basically identical to the roundabout at the south junction of US 50 and SR 89 about a mile away, with a bypass lane for westbound US 50 along the outside of the roundabout.

[Max Rockatansky]

That would be very useful for anyone looking to make a left hand turn onto US 50.  I usually have a hard time finding a gap in summer traffic.

[Voyager]

I remember reading about the 50 bypass freeway that you can still see the remnants of land purchased for that would have followed the general path of Pioneer trail. Would have been very useful, having gone to South Lake yesterday and getting stuck in traffic for a lot longer than I would have liked, but I do agree it would have taken away from a lot of the area's character.

[Max Rockatansky]

All of that was the part of the last gasp of getting I-70 into California.  If I recall correctly the freeway adoption at Echo Summit even included a tunnel which would have tracked north of Johnson's Pass.

[Voyager]

All of that was the part of the last gasp of getting I-70 into California.  If I recall correctly the freeway adoption at Echo Summit even included a tunnel which would have tracked north of Johnson's Pass.

What was the other main one? I forget if it was either 108 with a Sonora Pass tunnel or 168 over Piute Pass?

[Max Rockatansky]

All of that was the part of the last gasp of getting I-70 into California.  If I recall correctly the freeway adoption at Echo Summit even included a tunnel which would have tracked north of Johnson's Pass.

What was the other main one? I forget if it was either 108 with a Sonora Pass tunnel or 168 over Piute Pass?

The first proposal was Minaret Summit and the second was a tunnel under Sonora Pass.

[Voyager]

All of that was the part of the last gasp of getting I-70 into California.  If I recall correctly the freeway adoption at Echo Summit even included a tunnel which would have tracked north of Johnson's Pass.

What was the other main one? I forget if it was either 108 with a Sonora Pass tunnel or 168 over Piute Pass?

The first proposal was Minaret Summit and the second was a tunnel under Sonora Pass.

Not to hijack the thread, but I was always so annoyed they never finished the highway and connected it - the point where it dead ends is one that if they kept going you would have already seen all the interesting stuff (Minarets and Banner and Ritter etc)

[Max Rockatansky]

All of that was the part of the last gasp of getting I-70 into California.  If I recall correctly the freeway adoption at Echo Summit even included a tunnel which would have tracked north of Johnson's Pass.

What was the other main one? I forget if it was either 108 with a Sonora Pass tunnel or 168 over Piute Pass?

The first proposal was Minaret Summit and the second was a tunnel under Sonora Pass.

Not to hijack the thread, but I was always so annoyed they never finished the highway and connected it - the point where it dead ends is one that if they kept going you would have already seen all the interesting stuff (Minarets and Banner and Ritter etc)

It is even more developed on the Madera County side via Forest Route 81 out of North Fork.  Essentially in conventional form the Minaret Summit Highway functionally is about 80% constructed.  One could make a day trip in theory hiking from the Madera County side to Devils Postpile from the end of the road.

[FredAkbar]

That would be very useful for anyone looking to make a left hand turn onto US 50.  I usually have a hard time finding a gap in summer traffic.

Isn't there a traffic signal? GSV

[Max Rockatansky]

That would be very useful for anyone looking to make a left hand turn onto US 50.  I usually have a hard time finding a gap in summer traffic.

Isn't there a traffic signal? GSV

Heh, seems I remembered it wrong.  The light is pretty lengthy and the traffic heading westbound tends to back up during busier seasons. .