Truckee and Caltrans have finished the tunnel phase of the Highway 89 Undercrossing Improvement Project, nicknamed the Mousehole Project. The tunnel structure is now completely through the Union Pacific railroad embankment.

The concrete tunnel structure and retaining walls were built on the south side of the Union Pacific railroad using over 1,500 cubic yards of concrete. Then the jacking began to insert the tunnel structure into the hole dug into the railroad embankment by a road header machine, which removed over 900 cubic yards of soil and rock. On Monday,

While the tunnel is through the embankment, much work needs to be done before it is safe for the public to travel through. Over the next months, portal wall construction and finish work will continue on this $14 million project that will provide a safer route for pedestrians and bicyclists along the heavily traveled Highway 89 between Truckee and Tahoe City.

Full completion is expected next spring.