US 40 in Reno-Sparks

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm wrapping up a blog on the alignment history of US 40 in Reno-Sparks.  I noticed there was a US 40A signed on Alameda Avenue and 2nd Street in Reno on the 1939 Official Road Map of Nevada:

https://www.dot.nv.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/1201/636180527489630000

I found this odd for several reasons:

-  US 40A only ever appears on the 1939 map.
-  US 40A is never requested in the AASHTO Database on Alameda/2nd.

I noticed some USGS maps shows US 40A extended through Sparks on Glendale Avenue, this never appears on the Official Road Maps or the AASHTO Database.  I know Nevada was infamous for rogue Alternate US Routes but does anyone know what is going on here?

[roadfro]

I'm not sure if this was ever officially signed. I haven't come across any references to it before. But it would not surprise me if there may have been some unofficial alternate routing.

Currently, there is no Alameda Avenue in Reno that I can find. Most likely, Wells Ave took over the alignment.

2nd St used to have a number in NDOT's old federal aid system (pre-1976). Years ago, I found this old milepost on 2nd at Wells Ave–I don't know what the system classification is, but the number was 705 and the mileage is 1.96. There were a lot of streets and numbers in the old federal aid system, but not all were NDOT maintained–but the presence of a milepost suggests that this might have been NDOT maintained at some time. That distance approximately tracks to the intersection of 4th St & Stoker Ave–2nd St also used to intersect here until the ReTRAC project sunk the railroad in a trench circa the mid-2000s, causing the elimination of 2nd St between 4th St and Dickerson Rd. But that does give some rationale as to why 2nd St had an minor underpass to get across the railroad west of downtown in the first place, as it seemed somewhat unnecessary when I first encountered it circa 2002.

Also worth noting that 2nd St turns into Glendale Ave after crossing into Sparks. Much of Glendale Ave is still NDOT-maintained as SR 648.

Just noting what has been or currently is NDOT-maintained, I could imagine an effort to use 2nd/Glendale and either Kietzke Lane or Rock Blvd as an "alternate" route between Downtown Reno and old US 40 (now Victorian Ave) in Sparks back in the day, whether signed officially or not.

Might need to go to the UNR library and look at some old NDOT logs when I get back to Reno...

[Max Rockatansky]

Worth noting; Alameda Avenue is now Wells like you said.  I'm catching some older street names in my research.  Victorian in Sparks was originally known as B Street. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Completed the blog entry based off the current known data available about US 40A:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2021/12/former-us-route-40-in-reno-and-sparks.html