Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors direct staff to explore keeping Old Highway 40 open more in winter
Summary
Board members discussed growing travel and commercial truck traffic that make Donner Pass closures more disruptive for residents and employees. Supervisors asked staff to work with Caltrans, Sugar Bowl and other partners to identify options for more routine snow removal and services on Old Highway 40 and to assess costs and infrastructure needs.
Nevada County supervisors spent extended time on Donner Pass winter operations and the area commonly called “Old Highway 40,” and directed staff to pursue options to improve snow‑removal support and partner coordination.
Supervisor Bullock described how increasing freight traffic on Interstate 80 and changing travel patterns have made Old Highway 40 (the county‑maintained road from the Sugar Bowl gate toward Donner Lake) a vital alternate route during closures. The road is maintained by the county but not routinely plowed; Sugar Bowl currently opens and closes a gate on parts of the route and has provided ad hoc plowing in some years.
Why it matters: Supervisors cited repeated closures of I‑80, higher commercial truck volumes and life‑safety incidents that left residents and visitors stranded at times. They said the county’s crews lack a staffed garage and infrastructure in the eastern mountains and that seasonal maintenance costs for eastern routes are higher than in lower‑lying parts of the county.
What the board asked staff to do: Supervisors asked staff to work with Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol, Sugar Bowl and Placer County to explore service options — from equipment subsidies to interagency agreements — for keeping Old Highway 40 open more often during winter weather. The board directed staff to present options, including potential capital and operating costs, and to coordinate meetings with stakeholders; several supervisors asked to be included in stakeholder meetings.
Timeline and next steps: Staff indicated they would look for options and align any funding requests with the county’s budget process for potential inclusion in upcoming budget cycles. No appropriation was made at the meeting.
Ending: Supervisors said they wanted to support eastern‑county residents and businesses and asked staff to return with options and cost estimates to inform future budget decisions.
