On Wednesday, Caltrans announced the closure of one of its Sierra roadways as the region expects snow to ring in the new year. By noon, the agency closed part of Highway 89, which passes through the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe.
The highway is closed from the junction of Highway 395 in Mono County to the junction of Highway 4 in Alpine County. There is currently no scheduled reopening, a spokesperson for Caltrans told SFGATE.
The areas near the highway received 1 to 2 inches of snowfall in the past 36 hours, and 1 to 3 more inches are expected in areas near the Tahoe Basin and Truckee through Saturday, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service told SFGATE. The snow is forecast through New Year’s Eve. While the snow isn’t deep, roads can freeze and become unsafe.
While tempting, Caltrans warns “out-of-towners” not to stop on the side of the road to play in the snow. It also encourages drivers to use alternate routes and to follow its winter driving tips, including looking out for chain conditions, traveling with a full tank and driving more slowly and carefully on the roads.
