Improvements to continue in Speedboat Beach; scheduled to reopen in spring

Published on November 15, 2019

Work to improve North Lake Tahoe’s popular Speedboat Beach in Brockway will continue through the end of the season and will reopen in spring.

Construction started in August, but utility trenching took longer than anticipated and unforeseen circumstances delayed the procurement of materials. As a result, the project’s timeline had to be adjusted. The county will continue working with the contractor, weather permitting, to ensure the project is completed as swiftly as possible. A partial opening is expected as soon as the stairs are completed and cleared for safe use.  

The improvements include a new permanent restroom to replace existing portable restrooms and reconstruction of the wooden staircase that provides access to the beach from Harbor Avenue. The wooden stairs are being replaced with a heavy-duty, rustic steel stairway with a beach overlook.

New signage will include a welcome sign, interpretive signs describing the local ecosystem and history, and a regulations panel to communicate beach rules.

Beginning in 2015, Placer County held a series of public workshops and worked with Brockway neighbors on the details of the improvements included in the project. The collaboration also focused on relief of parking and traffic problems due to the beach’s popularity. Placer tightened parking restrictions on nearby county roads and increased the fine for illegal parking from $25 to $100, while creating a designated loading and unloading area at the main public access point to improve traffic flow.

In 2011, Placer County built erosion control improvements throughout the Brockway neighborhood including concrete curbs and gutters, sediment detention basins, stormwater conveyance and collection infrastructure, and paver stones to stabilize the previous ‘soft- covered’ boardwalk to the beach. These improvements help protect the quality and clarity of Lake Tahoe.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the $560,000 construction contract for the new improvements in May. Full funding for the project will come from local park and recreation facilities development impact fees and county transient occupancy tax revenues.