Kingsbury Grade construction to last until fall

Roadway drainage pipe improvements on Kingsbury Grade (State Route 207) began this week, the second scheduled season of improvements.

Between early April and fall, single lane closures with a traffic flagger will periodically be in place on the Carson Valley side of Kingsbury Grade between mileposts 3 and 11. The single lane closures will primarily take place Mondays through Fridays between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with periodic Saturday and late evening lane closures. Motorists should anticipate travel delays of no more than 30 minutes through the work zone, with the majority of travel delays being under 10 minutes. Construction will not take place during major special events.

The project began in early September of 2017 before a scheduled winter construction shutdown. Thus far, approximately 450 linear feet of storm drain pipe has been installed and roughly 1,300 linear feet of pipe reinforced. In total, approximately 15,000 feet of eroding roadway drainage pipe will be reinforced with a cured-in-place pipe liner. A flexible pipe liner is inserted into existing drainage pipes. Resins in the liners are then hardened, creating a durable pipe able to last decades. The reinforcing pipe liners are often more cost-effective and less disruptive than traditional "dig and replace" pipe repair methods. The project will also replace certain roadway drainage inlets and add manholes for additional drainage access.

The approximately $4.4 million project by contractor Q&D Construction is a proactive measure to help preserve roadway stability and safety for all of those who rely on Kingsbury Grade to connect Tahoe and the Carson Valley. The section of road is traveled by approximately 5,600 vehicles daily, with many of the drainage features first constructed by federal agencies in the 1960s. NDOT also has future plans to improve other areas of roadway drainage on the highway.

In recent years, NDOT has dedicated approximately $54 million to improving roadway drainage and preserving stormwater quality along Tahoe-area state roadways.