New Interstate Shaves 10 Minutes off Drive from Reno Airport to South Lake Tahoe

With the completion of the I-580 freeway extension project connecting Reno to Carson City, getting to Heavenly Mountain Resort for the 2012-13 ski season will be faster, safer and more convenient than ever before.

The eight-and-a-half mile freeway from the Mount Rose Highway in Reno to the north end of Washoe Valley is set to open to traffic in August 2012. I-580 will provide a more convenient route and allow motorists to maintain a faster speed by eliminating the drive through Pleasant Valley and Washoe City. This new freeway extension will reduce the drive-time from Reno International Airport to Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe by 10 minutes, making the total drive-time one hour and three minutes.

When factoring in the convenience of Reno Tahoe International Airport, voted the top airport for skiers by SKI Magazine, and the access to Heavenly, which is connected via Gondola to the heart of South Lake Tahoe making it OnTheSnow.com’s list for “no car needed” resorts, getting to Heavenly is as easy as any other snowsports destination.

“From a national perspective, South Lake Tahoe now has a highly competitive access story for those folks flying to Lake Tahoe for their winter vacation,” said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly’s general manager. “And for skiers and riders who live in Reno and may have thought Heavenly was further away than the North Shore resorts, they can now experience Lake Tahoe’s largest destination resort as quickly and easily as any of the other major resorts.”

The new freeway contains nine bridges, including the longest concrete cathedral arch bridge in the nation – the Galena Creek Bridge. The final section of the I-580/U.S. 395 freeway is a divided highway, which will improve safety along U.S. 395 through Pleasant Valley.

Also in the works to improve the travel time from Reno to the South Shore, is the Carson City Freeway project, which bypasses the state capital and allows drivers to make a direct transition from U.S. 395 onto Highway 50 toward Lake Tahoe. Once completed, motorists will be able to travel from Susanville, north of Reno, to Zephyr Cove on the east shore of Lake Tahoe without any stoplights.

About Heavenly
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a world-class destination offering guests a one-of-a-kind combination of scenic beauty, exhilarating on-snow experience and nightlife unmatched in the ski industry. Heavenly is a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc., the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. One of the largest resorts in North America, Heavenly spans 4800 acres, climbs to Lake Tahoe’s highest elevation at 10,067 feet and features 97 trails for every level of skier or snowboarder. For more information on Heavenly Mountain Resort, please visit www.skiheavenly.com or call 800-HEAVENLY.