Nevada

[Rothman]

One thing that's kind of funny is that NDOT's preferred alternative is routed in such a way as to use as much land that the federal EIS covered as possible, so they don't have to re-EIS it.

<.<

>.>

It's a common strategy...

(personal opinion emphasized)

[roadfro]

https://x.com/nevadadotvegas/status/189444132941093705

[Plutonic Panda]

https://x.com/nevadadotvegas/status/189444132941093705

For some reason, it's saying the post has been deleted when I click on that link.

[roadfro]

https://x.com/nevadadotvegas/status/189444132941093705

For some reason, it's saying the post has been deleted when I click on that link.

Oops, I accidentally deleted a character at the end of the URL:
 https://x.com/nevadadotvegas/status/1894441329410937056

[roadfro]

Also found this reel on Instagram that has more video of the cow roaming along a freeway ramp (appears to be an off ramp of I-15 & St Rose Pkwy) and of crews trying to capture it as it runs down the middle of a major street.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGhTN3kxP-v

[Scott5114]

I like to imagine there was some rodeo enthusiast at NDOT who has been waiting his whole life for this day.

[splashflash]

Nevada Legislature hears bill to create toll road in Spanish Springs

https://www.kolotv.com/2025/02/25/nevada-legislature-hears-bill-create-toll-road-spanish-springs/

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) - The Nevada Legislature is hearing a bill that would approve a toll road in Spanish Springs.

AB61 would allow for a demonstration toll road that would connect Spanish Springs to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.

If approved, Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson says it would increase new revenue for the city and lower congestion on I-80.

Nevada law currently does not allow for toll roads in the state.

There was a law passed in 2011 allowing for one in Boulder City, but that project ultimately did not require a toll.

The bill being heard Tuesday would allow the city and RTC to enter into a public-private partnership to build the road, with bonds being paid back using toll revenue.

Today's meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.

[pderocco]

Nevada Legislature hears bill to create toll road in Spanish Springs
https://www.kolotv.com/2025/02/25/nevada-legislature-hears-bill-create-toll-road-spanish-springs/
CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) - The Nevada Legislature is hearing a bill that would approve a toll road in Spanish Springs.
AB61 would allow for a demonstration toll road that would connect Spanish Springs to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.
If approved, Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson says it would increase new revenue for the city and lower congestion on I-80.
Nevada law currently does not allow for toll roads in the state.
There was a law passed in 2011 allowing for one in Boulder City, but that project ultimately did not require a toll.
The bill being heard Tuesday would allow the city and RTC to enter into a public-private partnership to build the road, with bonds being paid back using toll revenue.
Today's meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.

Why? Is this supposed to be a new outer belt around the east side of the city? How does a north/south route significantly reduce traffic on east/west I-80?

[roadfro]

Nevada Legislature hears bill to create toll road in Spanish Springs
https://www.kolotv.com/2025/02/25/nevada-legislature-hears-bill-create-toll-road-spanish-springs/
CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) - The Nevada Legislature is hearing a bill that would approve a toll road in Spanish Springs.
AB61 would allow for a demonstration toll road that would connect Spanish Springs to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.
If approved, Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson says it would increase new revenue for the city and lower congestion on I-80.
Nevada law currently does not allow for toll roads in the state.
There was a law passed in 2011 allowing for one in Boulder City, but that project ultimately did not require a toll.
The bill being heard Tuesday would allow the city and RTC to enter into a public-private partnership to build the road, with bonds being paid back using toll revenue.
Today's meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.

Why? Is this supposed to be a new outer belt around the east side of the city? How does a north/south route significantly reduce traffic on east/west I-80?

The idea is to connect the Spanish Springs area in the northern reaches of Sparks directly to I-80 & USA Parkway (SR 439) (approximately these points). There is a lot of commuter traffic between Reno/Sparks and USA Parkway due to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, and currently I-80 (with only two lanes each way and a lot of it having minimum shoulders outside the metro area) is the only decent way to get out to TRIC from anywhere in Sparks or Reno. Whenever there are crashes during peak hours, things bog down drastically. This toll road would give another access point to TRIC for those coming from Spanish Springs and relieve some of that commuter traffic on I-80—and this could also have the added benefit of reducing commuter traffic on already-overburdened north-south arterials like Pyramid Hwy (SR 445) and Sparks Blvd.

[cl94]

I, for one, would prefer the state hold the TRIC developer to their agreements and have them pay for the road now that demand has materialized. Part of the deal to build the facility as large as it is (with opportunities for expansion) was that the developer would need to chip in for the necessary road improvements, including the Spanish Springs and South Meadows access roads which were written into the agreements.

That being said, something is better than nothing. Spanish Springs is a growing warehousing hub, and that's also where a lot of the new housing is going. The new link road would be about as long as the driving distance to McCarran East from Exit 32, so it would also (in theory) result in net VMT and emissions reductions. 80 is a mess at shift change times, let alone when there's a crash or fire in that canyon, and 445 isn't getting any better. I despise the thought of it being tolled (and the potential precedent it creates), but if this is the only way to get a road in the next decade...

(personal opinion emphasized)

[Rothman]

Huh.  Wonder why it's becoming a warehousing hub out there.  Thinking of distribution centers and the like, I think of the need for certain densities/distances to market.  Makes me wonder how freight logistics work in isolated areas like those out in that area.

[cl94]

Huh.  Wonder why it's becoming a warehousing hub out there.  Thinking of distribution centers and the like, I think of the need for certain densities/distances to market.  Makes me wonder how freight logistics work in isolated areas like those out in that area.

It's an extension of the North Valleys/ Stead warehousing cluster. Basically, it's where there's cheap land to put these things.

[pderocco]

The idea is to connect the Spanish Springs area in the northern reaches of Sparks directly to I-80 & USA Parkway (SR 439) (approximately these points). There is a lot of commuter traffic between Reno/Sparks and USA Parkway due to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, and currently I-80 (with only two lanes each way and a lot of it having minimum shoulders outside the metro area) is the only decent way to get out to TRIC from anywhere in Sparks or Reno. Whenever there are crashes during peak hours, things bog down drastically. This toll road would give another access point to TRIC for those coming from Spanish Springs and relieve some of that commuter traffic on I-80—and this could also have the added benefit of reducing commuter traffic on already-overburdened north-south arterials like Pyramid Hwy (SR 445) and Sparks Blvd.

Okay. The problem was that when I searched for "Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center", Google pointed me to something around the junction of I-580 and S. Meadows Pkwy. I get it now.

[vdeane]

I, for one, would prefer the state hold the TRIC developer to their agreements and have them pay for the road now that demand has materialized. Part of the deal to build the facility as large as it is (with opportunities for expansion) was that the developer would need to chip in for the necessary road improvements, including the Spanish Springs and South Meadows access roads which were written into the agreements.

That being said, something is better than nothing. Spanish Springs is a growing warehousing hub, and that's also where a lot of the new housing is going. The new link road would be about as long as the driving distance to McCarran East from Exit 32, so it would also (in theory) result in net VMT and emissions reductions. 80 is a mess at shift change times, let alone when there's a crash or fire in that canyon, and 445 isn't getting any better. I despise the thought of it being tolled (and the potential precedent it creates), but if this is the only way to get a road in the next decade...

(personal opinion emphasized)

Maybe the developer should pay the tolls rather than the vehicles traveling it.

[Plutonic Panda]

I really hope they do not have a toll road here. Nevada doesn't have toll roads and it should stay that way.

[The Ghostbuster]

How would a toll road factor when compared to widening four-lane segments of NV 445 and Sparks Blvd. to six lanes with upgrades to existing intersections? And also widening two-lane segments of existing NV 445 to four lanes (if necessary)?

[cl94]

How would a toll road factor when compared to widening four-lane segments of NV 445 and Sparks Blvd. to six lanes with upgrades to existing intersections? And also widening two-lane segments of existing NV 445 to four lanes (if necessary)?

The 6-lane upgrade and realignment of NV 445 is already funded, so it's happening. Nor will a toll road eliminate that need because of how quickly that area is growing. The toll road would tie into La Posada Drive, and all remaining 2-lane segments are north of there.

For completeness: there is also a planned N-S road linking Eagle Canyon road to Sun Valley and the North Valleys.

[cl94]

NDOT has finally published the minutes from February's board meeting, and there are plenty of goodies in there about status of the major projects in the Reno area.

• We have a rough timeline for I-80 widening between Exits 21 and 32. NEPA this summer (hopefully), final design and contract letting in 2026, construction start in 2027, construction finish in 2030-31. The project is mostly funded, but it's going to be complex given the terrain and the Truckee River running along the road. Estimated cost $500-600M.
• The next phase of US 395 widening north of Reno will begin in early 2026, immediately after the current phase completes. 3 miles of widening (Lemmon to Stead), should be relatively straightforward. Bike/ped improvements along SR 430 will be part of the contract. As an aside, there's also an upcoming city project that will widen and add bike/ped facilities to North Virginia St between Panther Drive and Stead Blvd, with expected construction start in 2027, so no shortage of projects in this area.
• NDOT indicated that a study was conducted for the aforementioned South Meadows access road to TRIC, possibly an extension of SR 426. This would be 15-20 miles of new alignment through undeveloped and rugged terrain, roughly equivalent to what we saw with SR 439. Estimated cost is well over $1B, so the project has been shelved until additional demand develops and the industrial park expands south. In other words, don't expect this anytime soon, because it's far more expensive than either widening 80 or building the Spanish Springs cutoff road (~10-15 miles) with less benefit than either.

None of these updates include the SR 445 projects, the early phases of which are nearing completion, nor will this be addressed in the March meeting. I have not seen or heard anything about future phases of the project or the freeway connection to US 395, nor have I seen recent updates about the Spaghetti Bowl or Nugget Viaduct projects.