A Lake Tahoe landmark celebrated for how it encourages people to stop and lean over its railing to admire the water below reopened Tuesday after a full replacement that lasted several months. Fanny Bridge, a historic crossing over the Truckee River, is open again to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in Tahoe City. Part of Highway 89 at the southwestern edge of town, Fanny Bridge spans over Lake Tahoe's only outlet via West Lake Boulevard.
Construction is near Lake Spaulding, about 25 miles west of Truckee. Caltrans said the work will impact traffic in both directions; crews are slated to begin reducing traffic to a single lane on Sunday at 7 p.m. The agency expects to begin directing motorists headed east onto the new bridge span beginning Tuesday. Work on the westbound bridge is slated for the spring.
According to the Cape Cod Commission, the regional planning, economic development, and regulatory agency, the 90-year-old bridges are considered "functionally obsolete," with narrow roadways, unsafe pedestrian access, and aging infrastructure. As the only connection to the mainland, the bridges are essential infrastructure for the more than 200,000 year-round Cape residents and the 50,000 daily commuters who rely on them. The federal government owns the bridges, but under an agreement with Massachusetts officials, the state will take over operations after they are rebuilt.