Douglas County to get unfinished road until Spring

The 11-mile repaving project of Highway 395 into Douglas County won't be finished until spring, state transportation officials said.

Scott Magruder, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said Frehner Construction will have most of the paving done by Nov. 30, but will not finish the final layer of paving until April or May 2001.

"They're behind, but barring any unforeseen circumstances with the contractor or the weather, they can get the majority if not all of the first layer down by Nov. 30," Magruder said. "They got a late start and now we won't have a finished road."

Frehner will likely be penalized about $6,800 a day for each day it takes the company to finish the project after it resumes work next spring, Magruder said. The $10.4 million project includes the addition of a third lane from Spooner Summit junction to Jacks Valley Road.

Magruder said the final layer of paving offers extra protection to the road's surface but can only be applied in temperatures of 60 degrees or higher. He said the road will be fine through the winter, but not having the top layer is not an ideal situation. However, the lack of the layer will not be a safety problem, he said.

Frehner Construction official Randy Evans said the company is behind on the project, but wouldn't comment on what issues delayed construction.

"There were lots of different reasons," he said.

Richard Nelson, state district engineer, said there were some delays on the part of the contractor and state that included surveying and paperwork. Magruder also pointed out that Frehner has worked on several projects in Carson City this year, including the work on the freeway bridges and the Carson Street and College Parkway overlays.

"There is a small window of opportunity for paving," Magruder said. "They had a lot of work this year in Northern Nevada."