The Sierraville Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest is seeking comments on the Little Truckee Summit Parking Area Improvement Project Preliminary Environmental Assessment during a 30-day comment period opened on July 12, according to a press release.
The Little Truckee Summit parking and trailhead area is located approximately 8 miles south of Sierraville on State Highway 89. Demand for winter parking far exceeds the capacity of the existing parking areas at the parking and trailhead area, and the existing configuration of the parking lot does not meet current user needs.
In recent instances, more than 100 vehicle/trailer combinations and other vehicles have been observed using the site, which was designed for up to 60 users. On winter weekends, parking at Little Truckee Summit frequently spills onto the shoulder on both sides of State Highway 89 and into unmaintained areas. Parking along State Highway 89 poses public safety concerns, as the route is a heavily used thoroughfare that is subject to weather extremes and to limited-sight distances given the highway alignment on a ridge top. The project is needed to improve parking lot safety by increasing parking lot capacity to meet current demand by improving and updating facilities at the parking and trailhead area.
The project Proposed Action would construct a new lot to expand the current parking capacity, repave the existing lot, realign and replace access routes, upgrade and increase restroom and grooming shed facilities, and install a warming hut. The total area affected would be approximately 11 acres, of which 5 acres would be temporarily affected and rehabilitated after project construction.
The Little Truckee Summit Parking Area Improvement Project Preliminary Environmental Assessment is available for review at the Sierraville Ranger District or at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46058.
For additional information, contact Karie Wiltshire at the Sierraville Ranger District at kwiltshire@fs.fed.us or (530) 994-3401.
Comments should be submitted before Aug. 12
Written comments should be submitted to:
Sierraville Ranger District
Attn: LTS Parking Improvement Project
P.O. Box 95, 317 South Lincoln
Sierraville, CA 96126
Comments may be submitted by FAX at (530) 587-6914 or by hand-delivery to the address shown. Electronic comments, in common (.doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, etc.) formats may be submitted to comments-pacificsouthwest-tahoe-sierraville@fs.fed.us.