Steve Ranson/LVN
The Dixie Valley Road will transition from a paved to gravel road this spring.
A new bus service between Reno and Las Vegas has begun with stops in rural Nevada
The Dixie Valley Road 30 miles east of Fallon is scheduled to be transitioned from a paved to gravel road as the Nevada Department of Transportation removes and pulverizes the aging asphalt surface.
Spokesperson Meg Ragonese said about 27 miles of Dixie Valley Road (State Route 121) connecting to U.S. 50 is a state-maintained asphalt road which then transitions into a gravel county road. She said the state road surface was last fully repaved in 1976, with minor resurfacing in 2012, and is deteriorating.
To enhance driver safety by removing the potholed roadway surface and to prevent costs of a full roadway reconstruction, Ragonese added the roadbed will be compacted and the existing asphalt surface pulverized and recycled as a gravel roadway.
“The transition will take place this spring, and NDOT will notify the public as soon as the road work schedule is finalized,” she said.
As the road is transitioned to a gravel surface, she said drivers are reminded to travel at slower speeds appropriate for the new gravel roadway surface and conditions.
Although traffic volumes fluctuate, NDOT estimated an average of 40 vehicles per day travel the road. A projected $8 million would be needed to fully reconstruct the road.
Ragonese said NDOT will periodically blade the roadway for a smoother drive and will continue minimal roadway maintenance as needed following extreme weather or other events. Snow will not be removed on the road.
New bus service
The Nevada Department of Transportation and Salt Lake Express launched daily bus service on Monday between Reno, Fallon/Fernley and Las Vegas.
Operated by Salt Lake Express, daily round-trip bus service will connect Reno with Fallon, Fernley and Las Vegas via U.S. 95 and Interstate 80. The bus will pick up from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Amtrak station and Centennial Plaza bus terminal in Sparks and offer stops in Fernley, Fallon, Hawthorne, Tonopah, Beatty, Pahrump and McCarran International Airport and Greyhound bus station in Las Vegas.
The Fallon location is at the Extra Mile Chevron gas store at 1960 W. Williams Ave., and in Fernley at the Flying J Travel Center. For those in Hawthorne, the bus stops at the El Captain Casino.
Ticket pricing and reservations are available at SaltLakeExpress.com or by calling 800-356-9796.
Cumulatively, Ragonese said the routes are projected to serve as many as 18,250 trips during the first year. With the goal of expanding regional intercity transit and increasing mobility, the routes were identified in part by public feedback provided during the development of NDOT’s Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan.
She said almost 70 percent of Nevadans polled cited such intercity transit connecting Nevada’s rural areas to services in larger urban and metropolitan cities as a top transit priority.
A new bus service between Reno and Las Vegas has begun with stops in rural Nevada
Beyond providing critical transportation to Nevada’s residents and visitors, Ragonese said public transit services also support environmental conservation and economic development. Public transit use eliminates an estimated 450 million gallons of gasoline annually in the U.S., reducing related environmental pollution. For every $10 million in transit investment, business sales increase an average of $30 million.
For information about these new routes or Salt Lake Express, contact Kathy Pope, the company relations director, at 208-317-8211 or at kathy.pope@saltlakeexpress.com.
U.S. Highway 95 project
Heading another direction, Ragonese said single lane closures on U.S. 95 near Schurz will continue through the spring as NDOT works on an highway paving improvement project.
Ragonese is urging drivers to be aware of a highway closure of about 10 days beginning in mid-April with detours available via U.S. 95A through Yerington or State Route 361 through Gabbs. She said NDOT will advise motorists through multiple media partners including the LVN.
Lane closures will be in place round-the-clock through mid-April on sections of U.S. 95 between Fallon and the Churchill County line north of Schurz. Ragonese said drivers should anticipate traffic delays of up to 30 minutes as pilot cars alternate directions of traffic through the work zone. NDOT advises motorists to follow all work zone signage and controls, as roadway surfaces will vary during paving.
Begun in fall 2020, the project consists of repaving 30 miles of U.S. 95 between the U.S. 95A junction in Schurz and 10 miles south of Fallon. The project will also add the following improvements:
• A four-mile-long passing lane on the northbound highway three miles north of Schurz.
• A left-hand turn lane will be constructed at Rodeo Drive in Schurz.
• Reconstruct and reinforced a roadway base in a half-mile section of highway with pervasive natural water infiltration.
• Extend and reinforce drainage culverts and boxes with headwalls after being installed during emergency installation to help protect the roadway during the floods of 2017.
Ragonese said the project by contractor Road and Highway Builders will improve the highway after it was last fully reconstructed in 2003.
Single lane closures began earlier this month on U.S. 95 near Schurz as the Nevada Department of Transportation starts highway paving as part of a continuing road improvement project.
The project by contractor Road and Highway Builders will improve the highway after it was last fully reconstructed in 2003.
Ragonese said project information is available at www.nevadadot.com or by dialing (775) 888-7000.
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