The re- alignment of Donner Pass Road into a “T” configuration has become a T-Bone of Contention. The fear is that new Railyard businesses will steal customers from the historic district. Some see the existing easterly swoosh of Donner Pass Road as a luge course dumping cars right into Commercial Row. And they see the proposed “T” as a design to divert traffic to the new stores. The question is, how many customers arrive from the east and how many of those do not know where the old town is? Who arrives in historic Truckee from the east?–certainly folks from Glenshire and Olympic Heights, from Prosser and Grays Crossing, from Sierraville. And if a new tourist coming from the east on i80 exits at signs for Sierraville and Lake Tahoe and actually finds Donner Pass Road, chances are they will find Commercial Row. It is far easier for new visitors to exit at Central Truckee, and follow the sign to Historic Downtown Truckee. Some have criticized the Economic Impact Analysis for using only 10% as the number of cars arriving from the east, a figure from the Truckee TransCAD model. Actual traffic counts would probably show the number to be less. And a “Historic Downtown Truckee” sign could direct whatever traffic lands at the new intersection.
As the Truckee General Plan says, “The interface between historic Truckee and the new Mill Site Development should be seamless.” In developing the Railyard Master Plan, alternatives were considered. The “T” intersection creates the most seamless connection, allowing for pedestrian and business connectivity. Leaving the Swoosh “creates a separate and distinct main street from the existing Downtown.” (See pages 22-23 of the Master Plan.)
But the differences are hard to visualize. There are various two dimensional maps to help, but a three dimensional model and a simulated “fly-through” would be great. And how about an on the ground mock-up demonstration?
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