NDOT starts work to improve SR431 truck escape ramp

A project intended to increase public safety has begun on the north shore in Incline Village. The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has begun the project to enhance the State Route 431 Mt. Rose Highway truck escape ramp.

The truck ramp, located on the westbound side of the highway, will be converted from the current rock surface to asphalt. A series of six pre-tensioned drag nets will be added to the truck ramp to catch the front grill of runaway vehicles and help safely absorb the impact to slow, then ultimately stop, the vehicle. The asphalt surface of the truck ramp will be heated to ensure that snow or ice does not hamper use of the nets during winter months. Similar innovative systems have been used in Europe, Canada and some areas of the U.S. Two roadside flashing signs and one large overhead digital message sign will also be installed to alert drivers when a vehicle is in the truck ramp.

“Approximately 5,000 vehicles travel this section of the Mt. Rose Highway every day, including semi-trucks,” NDOT District Engineer Thor Dyson explained. “We are dedicated to traffic safety and mobility, and this new truck escape ramp system will help keep the road safe for all drivers and the community in general.”

During construction, drivers will see periodic short-term shoulder and lane closures. Truck traffic will not be permitted on Mt. Rose Highway during construction. The approximately $4.6 million project by Q & D Construction is scheduled to complete in the fall of 2016. The safety improvements will be funded in part by a portion of the approximately $21 million in federal highway safety funds that NDOT dedicates annually to roadway safety projects and programs.

A truck escape ramp is an emergency-use-only ramp adjacent to a roadway which provides a location for runaway vehicles to safely stop. The ramps often use gravel to slow a vehicle. There are four Nevada truck ramps, including the Mt. Rose Highway truck ramp, two ramps on U.S. 50 between Carson City and Lake Tahoe and one in Laughlin. The Mt. Rose Highway truck ramp was constructed in the late 1970s.

Further project information is available at www.nevadadot.com or by dialing (775) 888-7000.