- Roadwork Westbound between Floriston and Hinton Rd, traffic getting through — emergency work, about 10 min; until 5:01 p.m.
Cameras and chain-control points on I-80, SR-89 and SR-267. Click a marker to open the camera.
The live feed above pulls straight from Caltrans District 3 reporting. An R-0 code means the asphalt is bare and traffic moves without equipment restrictions. Any active restriction on I-80, SR-89, or SR-267 means chain drops, slow speeds, and holding pens during winter storms. Always verify sudden closures directly with Caltrans or NDOT before driving past the valley floors.
Reading chain control stages
Caltrans enforces three active winter driving restrictions across the Sierra passes.
R-1 requires snow tires or chains on all vehicles, though normal passenger cars with highway tires must chain up. R-2 requires tire chains on every vehicle except four-wheel or all-wheel drive with dedicated snow tires on all four wheels. R-3 demands chains on every single vehicle without exception. R-3 is rare on main corridors; Caltrans normally closes the road before calling R-3 due to spinouts.
I-80 over Donner Pass
Interstate 80 carries heavy freight and commuter traffic past Truckee between the Sacramento Valley and Reno. The critical climb starts west of town, rising past Kingvale at 6,095 ft and 6,128 ft up to Soda Springs at 6,692 ft. The crest hits Donner Summit at 7,221 ft and Castle Peak at 7,165 ft.
Cameras show the road surface well before the chain checkpoints:
- Check the I-80 road conditions hub for full corridor status.
- Monitor the I-80 at Castle Peak webcam at 7,165 ft.
- Watch asphalt coverage on the I-80 at Donner Summit webcam at 7,221 ft.
- See eastbound traffic on the I-80 at Soda Springs - Eastbound webcam at 6,692 ft.
East of the summit, the grade drops down past Donner Lake at 6,394 ft before leveling out into Truckee at 5,928 ft. When winter controls go up on I-80, Caltrans screens westbound traffic at Truckee and eastbound traffic at lower foothill checkpoints.
SR-267 over Brockway Summit
SR-267 connects Truckee directly to Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe's north shore. The route starts at 5,866 ft on the Truckee Bypass, climbs past Northstar at 6,197 ft, and crosses Brockway Summit at 7,194 ft.
Because Brockway Summit sits at 7,194 ft, this pass catches early snow that misses the Truckee basin floor. The route descends steeply down to Lake Tahoe, terminating at 6,256 ft at the SR-28 junction. Check the SR-267 road conditions page or look at live asphalt visuals on the SR-267 at Brockway Summit webcam at 7,194 ft and the SR-267 at Northstar webcam at 6,197 ft.
SR-89 to Tahoe City and Olympic Valley
SR-89 follows the Truckee River canyon south toward Lake Tahoe. It leaves Truckee at West River at 5,885 ft and climbs gradually along the canyon floor toward Olympic Valley at 6,122 ft and Alpine Meadows at 6,220 ft.
The road reaches Tahoe City along Fairway Dr at 6,286 ft and connects to Granlibakken at 6,256 ft. While lower than Brockway Summit, the canyon shadows keep ice on the asphalt long after storms clear. View current cameras on the SR-89 webcams index or see regional updates across all road conditions.
Alternate routes and closures
When I-80 shuts down at Donner Summit, regional traffic diverts or stops entirely. SR-267 and SR-89 are local mountain connections to Lake Tahoe, not bypasses for a closed interstate.
If I-80 closes, do not use side roads or residential cutoffs around Truckee to bypass Caltrans gates. Local mountain roads lack winter maintenance during active storms and trap unprepared passenger cars. Wait out closures at valley elevations in Reno or Sacramento, and rely on Nevada 511 and Caltrans QuickMap for official gate reopenings.