I-580 in Nevada no longer hidden?

[BigManFromAFRICA88]

So apparently, the images on Google Maps (taken in October) shows Interstate 580 alongside US 395 through much of Reno now, when was this done exactly? Sorry to bother you all with a new thread but it's been bothering me. I remember going up 395 two years back and I-580 was still a "peekaboo" designation.

[jrouse]

Been that way since 2012.  See

https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-580_nv.html

And

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3253.0, starting around page 3 of the thread.

Looks like the last piece of the Carson City Bypass is going to open next year and at that time the portion from US-50/Williams Street southward will be signed as I-580, completing the route.



iPhone

[BigManFromAFRICA88]

Whoops, maybe I was thinking 4 years ago haha. Thanks!

[Bobby5280]

I wonder if there are any long term plans to extend I-580 farther West toward Lake Tahoe or South through Indian Hills, Minden, Gardenville, etc. along US-395. From where I-580 will end US-380 has set-backs that look wide enough to hold a freeway in the future.

[gonealookin]

Initially the segment most recently opened, from south Reno to Washoe Valley, was signed only as US 395, but I-580 shields were added very soon after that segment's opening.  I took this photo at the "ride your bike on the new freeway" day in late July 2012, the freeway opened perhaps a week or so later and by Labor Day 2012 or so there was an I-580 shield to the left of that US 395 shield.

[Rothman]

I thought next year would only end I-580 at a massive traffic light intersection with three left turn lanes to stay on US 395 SB.  Won't be until some years down the road that a more efficient interchange will be built.

[gonealookin]

Yes, the +/- 4 miles of new freeway is substantially completed.  The major ongoing work is reconstructing that intersection at the southwest end from a T intersection into a 4-way with a freeway coming in from the east.  They have to do that with traffic flowing through the existing intersection and also occasionally dealing with winter weather; Carson City is a desert town and doesn't get that much snow but once in a while they wake up to a foot of fresh stuff.  Best guess for the opening would be around June 2017, and it should definitely be open by the middle of summer.

[Max Rockatansky]

Initially the segment most recently opened, from south Reno to Washoe Valley, was signed only as US 395, but I-580 shields were added very soon after that segment's opening.  I took this photo at the "ride your bike on the new freeway" day in late July 2012, the freeway opened perhaps a week or so later and by Labor Day 2012 or so there was an I-580 shield to the left of that US 395 shield.

Hopefully that included a bike ride up Mount Rose, that's one scenic little highway. 

[roadfro]

So apparently, the images on Google Maps (taken in October) shows Interstate 580 alongside US 395 through much of Reno now, when was this done exactly? Sorry to bother you all with a new thread but it's been bothering me. I remember going up 395 two years back and I-580 was still a "peekaboo" designation.

The intent was always to sign I-580 once the freeway linked all the way to Carson City.

Initially the segment most recently opened, from south Reno to Washoe Valley, was signed only as US 395, but I-580 shields were added very soon after that segment's opening.  I took this photo at the "ride your bike on the new freeway" day in late July 2012, the freeway opened perhaps a week or so later and by Labor Day 2012 or so there was an I-580 shield to the left of that US 395 shield.

I was doubting this photo at first, as I seemed to recall that I-580 signs were up right away. I looked at my photos from this event, and they corroborate this. I find it odd that the BGSs weren't designed with I-580 shields, knowing the designation had long-since been approved and was planned to be signed.

From my pictures, I see that the fun run/walk/drive event was held on July 28, 2012 (a Saturday). I seem to recall that the freeway opened no later than the following week. I went up to South Lake Tahoe for work in early/mid August that year, and seem to recall that I-580 reassurance shields had been installed next to the US 395 shields along the mainline (both in Reno and in Carson) by that time.

Curiously, on most intersecting side streets in Reno and Carson City, I-580 shields replaced existing US 395 shields instead of being installed alongside. This is especially curious for side street BGSs, where I-580 shield patches covered up US 395 shields (despite the BGS having been designed to have a I-580 shield placed next to the US 395 shield, as this photo depicts).


EDIT: Discussion in the thread linked by jrouse indicates the extension didn't open until August 24th & 27th, so clearly my memory is incorrect here. But the I-580 shield installations were underway in early/mid August.

[roadfro]

I thought next year would only end I-580 at a massive traffic light intersection with three left turn lanes to stay on US 395 SB.  Won't be until some years down the road that a more efficient interchange will be built.

Yes, the +/- 4 miles of new freeway is substantially completed.  The major ongoing work is reconstructing that intersection at the southwest end from a T intersection into a 4-way with a freeway coming in from the east.  They have to do that with traffic flowing through the existing intersection and also occasionally dealing with winter weather; Carson City is a desert town and doesn't get that much snow but once in a while they wake up to a foot of fresh stuff.  Best guess for the opening would be around June 2017, and it should definitely be open by the middle of summer.

As of December 4th: Major earthwork is done, and initial base layers of paving are in place. Soundwalls and guardrails are in place also. However, there's still the top layers of paving (typically laid towards final construction), signage and other items to do. And the 50/395 junction at South Carson Street still had a lot of work to do--I think they were installing the new signals when I was through there. So I don't think I'd call it "substantially completed", but a considerable amount of work has been done and I'd guess they're at about the 75-85% completion mark.

According to the project webpage, this phase began in Spring 2015 and was anticipated to take 24 months to complete. Based on the progress, I'd hazard a guess that they'll be done around late April/early May 2017.


The intersection conversion to interchange is well off into the future due to funding considerations. But just having another ~3.5 miles of freeway completed down to that 395/50 West junction will save another good amount of time heading from Reno to South Lake Tahoe or Minden/Gardnerville. (An interchange is just icing on the cake at that point.) And I-580 will be extended from the current signage terminus at US 50 East.

I wonder if there are any long term plans to extend I-580 farther West toward Lake Tahoe or South through Indian Hills, Minden, Gardenville, etc. along US-395. From where I-580 will end US-380 has set-backs that look wide enough to hold a freeway in the future.

There are no plans to extend I-580 any further in any direction at this time. Going west would never get through environmental clearances at Lake Tahoe, not to mention that you couldn't make that Interstate standard west of SR 28 due to all the roads and residences that directly abut US 50. Going south could be an option as you get past all the shopping south of Carson, but you'd definitely need to bypass Minden/Gardnerville and there's really not a logical Interstate terminus in that direction...

[Bobby5280]

Minden, Gardnerville and Dresslerville is about as far south as any freeway extension of I-580 (or US-395) could run. In the long term more of US-395 could be converted from 2 lane to 4 lane. Quite a bit is already 4 lane in California.

There's no feasible way for an I-11 extension from Las Vegas to reach the Carson City area from the South via the Minden area. Too many mountain ranges. Even a very long term I-11 between Las Vegas and Reno would never be direct. It could only re-use the existing US-95 corridor to Fallon and US-50A to Fernley and I-80, 30 or so miles East of Reno.

[gonealookin]

"Substantial completion" was a bit of an exaggeration on my part and not very good phrasing.  roadfro's description of the current status in Carson City is accurate.

I think I have linked the Southern Sierra Corridor Study which was done for NDOT in 2007 here before.  Although it's nearly 10 years old, the ideas presented in that document are still the basis for Douglas County's long-term plans, but since none of the work has been performed, what was a "25-year plan" in 2007 is still a "25-year plan" at the end of 2016.  These are the major projects that would be done if money were no object, so more of a wish list than anything, but I bet we'll see some of this work done by 2035 or so.

Here is the outline, the highlights being:

1.  Upgrading US 395 to full freeway from the 2017 freeway terminus to the north entrance of Minden (however the freeway ends there and still sends its traffic onto the surface streets of Minden and Gardnerville).

2.  A brand new road completely bypassing Minden and Gardnerville along the east side of the Carson Valley, connecting to I-580 near the relatively new state prison in southeast Carson City and to US 395 south of Gardnerville.  I believe this is envisioned as a high-speed 2-lane road with truck lanes but it could be expanded to 4 lanes.

3.  Upgrading of roads including NV 88 and new road construction to provide another bypass of Minden and Gardnerville around the west and south sides.

4.  In the hills south of Gardnerville, US 395 is envisioned as a 2-lane road forever, just with some extended truck lanes.





All subject to change, obviously, depending on growth patterns in the Carson Valley over the next couple of decades.

[Max Rockatansky]

Minden, Gardnerville and Dresslerville is about as far south as any freeway extension of I-580 (or US-395) could run. In the long term more of US-395 could be converted from 2 lane to 4 lane. Quite a bit is already 4 lane in California.

There's no feasible way for an I-11 extension from Las Vegas to reach the Carson City area from the South via the Minden area. Too many mountain ranges. Even a very long term I-11 between Las Vegas and Reno would never be direct. It could only re-use the existing US-95 corridor to Fallon and US-50A to Fernley and I-80, 30 or so miles East of Reno.

Not really, especially if a route followed the Carson River to the proximity of Fort Churchill and US 95A.  There are plenty of gaps in the terrain to slot a road through that aren't too difficult if not US 95A with a bypass of Yerington.  Roadfro has discussed this extensively in the past that if I-11 ever got extended to Reno/Sparks it would like take NV 439/USA Parkway to I-80.  Not likely to happen though north of Vegas, you're basically on the moon with US 95.  There isn't any present reason to make any upgrades really at all until you hit Fallon.

[The Ghostbuster]

I heard that the US 395 freeway once was signed as Interstate 580 in the past, then just signed as US 395 until several years ago when more of the freeway between Reno and Carson City was completed. Is this accurate?

[Max Rockatansky]

North of US 50 both US 395 and I-580 are co-signed.  South of US 50 is US 395 and US 50:

US 50/395

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1667136,-119.7384861,3a,75y,270h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1siNBwuluU5l26liQ4zkx6lw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

US 395/I-580

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2058267,-119.7943989,3a,75y,270h,91.87t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sClpkjDYv1jfDs3z45hkrLg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[Rothman]

"Substantial completion" was a bit of an exaggeration on my part and not very good phrasing.  roadfro's description of the current status in Carson City is accurate.

I think I have linked the Southern Sierra Corridor Study which was done for NDOT in 2007 here before. 

All subject to change, obviously, depending on growth patterns in the Carson Valley over the next couple of decades.

Heh.  25-year plans are so cute.  NYSDOT has boxes of them, collecting dust.  None has ever been fully implemented and I'm betting most were less than half implemented.

(personal opinion emphasized)

[roadfro]

I heard that the US 395 freeway once was signed as Interstate 580 in the past, then just signed as US 395 until several years ago when more of the freeway between Reno and Carson City was completed. Is this accurate?

According to the Nevada I-580 page on AARoads, I-580 was never signed on the freeway itself, but there is some supporting evidence that I-580 shields were used on some intersecting side streets. It also appeared on some maps (including some official state maps produced by NDOT) for a brief time in the 1980s.

I can vouch from personal observation that from 2001 to extension opening in 2012, the only indication of I-580 in the field was that NDOT mileposts stated "IR 580" instead of "US 395".