I-580 construction pushes on

Work continues on the $394 million I-580 Highway project from Reno to Carson City.

The project has a total of nine bridges including the 1,719-foot long, 300-foot high Galena Creek bridge in Pleasant Valley. That structure accounts for nearly $95 million of the total $393.4 million contract and has been the subject of significant controversy.

The original bridge contractor, Edward Kraemer & Sons, was terminated after saying they didn't think it would be possible to safely erect the bridge because of wind conditions at the site.

The new bridge contractor, C.C. Myers of Sacramento, plans instead to fill in the Galena Creek valley with dirt to support the concrete arch as it is poured in place, then remove the dirt and restore the area.

NDOT Spokesman Scott Magruder has said altogether, it will take nearly four years to complete what is, to date, the largest single highway contract in Nevada history.

When finished, he said most of the 40,000 cars that drive between Reno and Carson City every day will move off the old road through Pleasant Valley onto the new freeway, eliminating about 70 percent of the traffic on Highway 395 in Pleasant Valley.