Travel Route Ratings for Roadway Travel Units
This indicator tracks long-term, cumulative changes in scenic conditions along major roadways in the Region. It accounts for the urban, transitional, and natural landscapes that the roads pass through. Tracking these changes is important as it provides a measure of how changes in land use and development over time affect scenic conditions. The primary drivers affecting scenic quality in the Tahoe Region are land use, land and resource management activities, and the visual/aesthetic characteristics of development. The TRPA Code of Ordinances specifies minimum design standards and guidelines for new development and redevelopment projects. Area plans and community plans provide specific design standards and guidelines applicable to local areas. The Scenic Quality Improvement Program, adopted by TRPA in 1989, identifies a host of projects that are necessary to improve scenic conditions. Every four years, a team of professionals examines and evaluates the quality of scenic units and resources along major roadways in the Tahoe Region.
Status
Total number of scenic roadway units in attainment and not in attainment. There has been continuous incremental improvements in scenic conditions along roadway travel units since 1991.
Evaluation Map
Roadway travel units 2019 attainment status. Different roadway units have different lengths and approximately 72 percent of scenic roadways are within units that are in attainment.
2019 Evaluation
- Status
- At or Somewhat Better Than Target
- Trend
- Moderate Improvement
- Confidence
- High
Applicable Standard
Maintain the 1982 ratings for all roadway and shoreline units as shown in:
SR5) Table 13-6 of the Draft Study Report
SR6) Table 13-7 of the Draft Study Report
SR7) Restore scenic quality in roadway units rated 15 or below
SR8) Restore scenic quality in shoreline units rated 7 or below
Key Points
- As of 2019, 34 roadway travel units are in attainment, 20 have not yet reached attainment, and six improved since the last assessment but not enough to bring additional units fully into attainment.
- Units most out of attainment are urban travel routes that would benefit from further redevelopment of the built environment.
- Unauthorized roadway parking in some roadway units is extensive, creating visual distraction and blocking views to Lake Tahoe. As a result, three roadway units are at risk of degraded scores.
Delivering and Measuring Success
EIP Indicators
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Miles of Utility Lines Buried Underground
Reducing dominance of structures, including utility lines, improves scenic quality. Therefore, the EIP tracks the progress of miles of overhead utility lines buried underground along major roadways.
Example EIP Projects
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Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project
Substantial reconstruction of the roadway through Kings Beach along with sidewalks, landscaping, and new streetscape amenities brought this scenic roadway into attainment in 2015.
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U.S. Highway 50 Water Quality Improvement Project - "Y" to Trout Creek
This project within scenic roadway unit 35 in the City of South Lake Tahoe added sidewalks and rock retaining walls increasing the unit's scenic score bringing the unit closer to threshold attainment.
Local and Regional Plans
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Scenic Quality Improvement Program
The program is a comprehensive strategy for improving the overall quality of the built environment and attaining and maintaining the scenic quality goals of the Tahoe Region.