First Big Snow Storm Brings Renewed Shortcut Concerns Along Highway 50
EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) — The first big snowstorm of the season brought the long-lost sight of snowflakes falling from the sky Tuesday.
"When it starts doing this it's money coming out of the sky," chain installer Jeff Pine said.
Along with the snow, chain installers have also returned. This winter-like weather is reminding motorists trying to make it over the mountain on Highway 50 to be prepared.
Shannon Fox lives in South Lake Tahoe and drove over the mountain to Sacramento for some quick Christmas shopping. The snow arrived before she could get back home, which was no problem for her.
"No, I got it down pretty good," Fox said.
READ: Winter Weather Snarls Traffic On Interstate 80 In Sierra
This snow is also a signal to people who live along Highway 50 to be prepared for a lot more cars in their neighborhoods.
"Frustrated, I'm very frustrated," Meyers resident Kenny Curtzwiler said.
Curtzwiler has voiced frustration over people using travel apps like Waze and have increasingly re-routed themselves through his neighborhood to bypass Highway 50 traffic during winter months.
Organized efforts by neighbors and El Dorado County to stop travel apps from re-routing people on city streets have gone nowhere.
"When people are leaving town, and the traffic backs up, they're gonna get on their app and say 'I've got a shortcut through the neighborhood,' that will save them one minute," Curtzwiler said. "It'll back up the neighborhood and we've got people going to the bathroom in front of our houses."
The return of snow in the mountains. On Highway 50, it may mean more frustration, even if it is a stunning show.
