Highway 50 reopens over Sierra pass after police investigate suspicious package

A major Sierra pass has reopened after authorities investigated a suspicious package Saturday along Highway 50 in El Dorado County.

The 40-mile stretch of highway linking Sacramento to the Lake Tahoe Basin was shut down just after 11 a.m. as the California Highway Patrol and the El Dorado Sheriff’s Office investigated a suspicious package. Authorities said the item posed no threat to the public.

“A suspicious item was located adjacent to Highway 50 near Strawberry and the investigation is ongoing to determine what that device is,” said Officer Andrew Brown, a spokesman for the CHP’s Placerville office.

A CHP dispatcher said the roadway between Sly Park Road, east of Pollock Pines, and Meyers reopened just after 1 p.m. but declined to comment further.

This story was originally published December 30, 2023 at 1:08 PM.