Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Underground utility explosion closes part of Tahoe highway

STATELINE — Two highway lanes in the main casino drag on the south shore of Lake Tahoe may remain closed for weeks after an explosion in an underground utility vault and blew a hole in the road over the weekend.

The blast left a crater in the middle of U.S. Highway 50 in Stateline and cracked a natural gas pipeline, causing a leak at about 5 a.m. Sunday.

NV Energy spokeswoman Kristen Saibini told The (Gardnerville) Record-Courier there was an electrical event in the underground vault but the cause of the incident remains under investigation.

No one was injured but about 400 residents were without power for more than three hours.

The two eastbound lanes of the highway had reopened by early Monday but state transportation officials say it could be weeks before westbound traffic resumes.