Two-year long NDOT US50 Spooner Summer project to begin this week

Submitted by paula on Tue, 04/23/2019 - 9:48am

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will begin a two-year long storm drainage project to help preserve water quality and reduce erosion on US 50 between Carson City and Spooner Summit on Thursday, April 25.

Drivers will see 24-hour single lane closures from 8:00 p.m. Sunday evenings through 6:00 p.m. Friday evenings on both directions of U.S. 50 from Tahoe Golf Club Drive to the Spooner Summit area. Travel delays of up to 30 minutes should be anticipated, with most delays averaging under 10 minutes. Motorists are asked to obey traffic controls and drive at posted construction speed limits, or slower as necessary for conditions. Drivers should also anticipate and share the road with bicyclists in designated travel lanes

The two-year road improvement project is projected to complete in fall 2020, with construction anticipated to seasonally stop for hiatus during the heart of winter.

The project will replace and line existing aging culverts, replace drop inlets, and install new storm drain systems to help improve roadway safety against flooding and reduce erosion in downstream drainages. The project will also add enhanced water quality treatments for roadway drainage before entering Clear Creek. Additionally, sections of existing guardrail will also be replaced with concrete barrier rail to improve highway safety and reduce maintenance costs. Most of the drainage systems were originally constructed when the highway was built more than 50 years ago. The drainage systems carry storm water into the Clear Creek Watershed on the south side of U.S. 50.

The approximately $8 million project by contractor Granite Construction Company is one part of the Clear Creek Erosion Control Program, a cooperative agreement between NDOT and the Carson Valley Conservation District to reduce erosion and preserve water quality in the upper Clear Creek Watershed. Most recently, NDOT enhanced drainage and erosion controls on U.S. 50 from the South Carson Street/Spooner junction to Tahoe Golf Club Drive.