Only six months ago the Town decided to pass leadership of the Mousehole project off to Caltrans. But Caltrans is short of funds and there is no timetable for improving the Mousehole. The Town decided to take action.

"It's all we have wished for all these years," said Olive South, Chair of the Sisters & Brothers of Highway 89 Coalition. "Cars and trucks can use the new tunnel right in town."



Business people present at the meeting, which was held at Northstar, shrugged their shoulders. "This could bring more people back into town after the parking meter fiasco," was the way Sam "Big Burger" Bidski, local restaurant owner saw the situation.

AAA District Manager, Maggie Tart, took exception: "Drivers have been robbed of their rights by this action."

The tunnel was constructed by Chinese labor at the time the intercontinental railroad was built to allow farm animals north of the tracks to get down to the Truckee River.

The closure will completed by the July 4 traffic crunch. Caltrans said in a press release that it was happy with the decision. "It's just one more thing we don't have to do."