NDOT performing car count on Six Mile Canyon Road

A car count is taking place along Six Mile Canyon Road, but a Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman said doesn't mean the state is interested in taking over the street.

"We do car counts on off-system roads," said Scott Magruder. "It's a connector road."

Six Mile Canyon Road suffered heavy damage over New Year's Eve and was closed for six months until it could be repaired. The county's position is that NDOT should be responsible for the road, which officials described as a regional road. NDOT considers the road to be the county's responsibility.

Storey and Lyon County officials have said they were not aware of the NDOT count, but Storey's chief administrator, Marilou Walling, said the counts take place periodically.

"We do a total of 16 different sections in Storey County," Magruder said. "Most of the counts are on state routes 341 or 342."

Magruder said the county has counted traffic on Six Mile Canyon Road since 1998.

"It went from 700 cars a day in 1998 to 1,350 on 2005," he said, describing a count that took place in Virginia City at Six Mile Canyon and D Street.

The counts include cars traveling in both directions on an average day, Magruder said, adding that the amount would likely be higher in the summer months.

At an area 2.5 miles west of Highway 50 in Dayton, the count was 860 in 2004 and 1,250 in 2005, Magruder said.

Magruder said the count would probably go on for at least a month.

"All state highways are counted constantly," he said, "but we do a lot of off-systems if they are connector roads. We're the official car counting agency, so you'll see car counts on all kinds of roads."

Representatives of NDOT are expected to address the Storey County Commissioners during a meeting at 2 p.m. Nov. 6.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.