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The Reno Gazette-Journal, Marilyn Newton / AP
This May 8, 2009, photo shows the Galena Creek Bridge, a 1,700-foot cathedral arch span in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno.
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Nevada’s most expensive highway project will open this month — an 8 1/2-mile stretch of pavement that most Southern Nevadans will never use, unless you’re a politician or lobbyist commuting between Reno and Carson City.
It’s three lanes in each direction, takes travelers over no less than nine bridges, including one that spans 1,700 feet — the longest bridge of its kind in the world.
Automatic sprayers apply a saline solution on the bridges in cold weather to prevent freezing, and an 8-foot fence prevents deer from leaping to their deaths.
The new highway will save motorists between six to eight minutes traveling between the Capitol and Reno International Airport — 32 minutes versus 40 minutes (if you follow the speed limits).
On the other hand, you might find yourself driving slower if you’re bothered by heights or wind.
It will carry an estimated 25,000 vehicles a day — less than a tenth the number of vehicles who survive the Spaghetti Bowl in Las Vegas each day.
And the cost? More than a half-billion-with-a-b dollars.
The new highway, Interstate 580, was paid for primarily with federal and state gas tax money. It has been planned for decades.
“This project is not just a home run, it’s a grand slam,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said at the ribbon cutting last week.
He said it would improve safety, promote commerce and ease commutes.
But to critics, the project was a boondoggle — our own “bridge to nowhere,” as Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani called it when she was in the Assembly. The route was heavily influenced by not-in-my-backyard politics back in 1983. The residents along the current road, U.S. 395, didn’t want an expansion. The project couldn’t be moved to the west because that would run into a tony development. So the Washoe County Commission decided to have the highway hug a hillside overlooking Pleasant Valley to the west.
Some Southern Nevadans say the highway was built so Northern Nevadans could strut.
“I think it’s widely acknowledged as primarily a flex pose in the mirror, designed to celebrate the political might of a couple of Washoe County legislators,” said Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, who was also a legislator as this project was approved. (The late state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and late Gov. Kenny Guinn were both honored at the groundbreaking.)
Reno and Carson City are currently connected by a four-lane road that includes driveways and turnoffs, one of a handful of state capitals not linked by a true highway, according to historian Guy Rocha, a former state archivist. It can sometimes be closed by fires or accidents.
The new highway, on the other hand, has been derided by cynics as over the top.
That skepticism grew as the first contractor walked away from the project, citing concerns about constructing the Galena Creek Bridge, 300-feet-high, in heavy winds. The contractor was paid $50 million for the work it completed. In 2007, the transportation board approved another contract with a different company for $393 million, which included completing that bridge and other parts of the project.
The local congressman, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said he was looking for hard data that justified the size and scope of the project — a “benefit-cost analysis” of the project.
“In all my time paying attention, I don’t recall seeing one,” said Amodei, who did not attend the groundbreaking. “Anytime you’re talking about a new piece of infrastructure coming on line, it’s a good thing.”
But, he worried that Southern Nevada lawmakers might balk at funding future projects in the north, such as the final leg of the Carson City freeway, which would run through the east side of town. That has a price tag of $100 million.
The Nevada Department of Transportation said the project that is now the top priority is Project Neon, a major improvement to the freeways and interchanges around the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl. Its total cost is $1.8 billion.
But there’s no money to pay for it.
Beers cracked that the state could just build a bridge between Summerlin and Green Valley.
A great project, better than the stone age infrastructure advocated by the Republicans
Will I ever use the Hoover Dam bypass, probably not !
The new roadway is unsafe and stupid to have built. The old highway through the semi-rural residential area should have been widened despite the concerns of residents. There are enough fatalities due to high winds on the roads close to the ground. Forget about elevated roadways.
Now that the road has been built, it's too late to complain about it, and it would be silly to not finish it. But now that northern Nevada has its freeway, it's time to turn the State's attention south. 215 needs to be finished, Summerlin Parkway needs expansion, 15 needs widening, the viaduct on the 95 (through downtown) needs replacement and expansion, there needs to be a bypass of Boulder City on what will become I-11... the list goes on and on.
Can we stop building unnecessary crap for the cow counties? Next they'll want a beltway built for Elko or something.
Comment removed by moderator. Off Topic
Ok. Northern Nevada has got theirs...can we PLEASE get I-11 going?
What a joke. I'm going to start wearing a green rubber bracelet for federal deficit awareness.
90 percent of the money came from Federal pork. It was a waste of the entire nation's money, not just Nevadas.
Speaking of wasting money, this is like that ridiculous water grab southern Nevada's about to make...
A little bit of quick math shows the "need" for this bypass. If it actually manages to save 6-8 minutes for each of the 25,000 vehicles using it every day that it's actually open, it will take in the neighborhood of 60 YEARS to simply break even. This is not a good old-fashioned boondoggle, it's classic corporate welfare at its best (worst??). A traditional boondoggle would have been preferable.
See me for reasonable prices on your choice of bridges! They're going fast! (ADV)
"and an 8-foot fence prevents deer from leaping to their deaths."
Maybe we could get some Deer to jump-off the Pat Tillman bridge down here so we too could get some 8 foot fences. Apparently humans jumping off is acceptable to the DOT.
So you are telling me that after spending all that $$, all it saves it 6-8 minutes??????????
I'm sorry, but that is just asinine! These guys are a bunch of babies if they can't handle a 40 minute drive.
Please...give me a flippin break...
The 8 minute talk is a bunch of newspaper speak. While the extension will shave time off the drive, it's not the reason it was built. To be fair, the old "highway" was a combination of road, freeway, highway, driveways, surface streets, etc. that was outgrown by the traffic between the two areas and something was needed. But the most expensive option on the table should not have been the answer.
To those who complain about "federal pork".
Where do you think the feds get their money to begin with? Would you rather the feds take your taxes and spend ALL of it in foreign countries?
Moan and cry over a transportation improvement in your own damn state, but not a tear is shed over the $8 billion in Iraq reconstruction funds that magically disappeared.
Ragman's revenge.........he did this plus got all that money for the north higher ed at the cost to the south higher ed.
But the libs just loved him because he was fellow lover of big big government. He just wanted the green to be spent for his friends.
For sake of god.....he was a partner in a lobbying law firm that had a conference room just a few doors from his senate office.
He loved money especially taxpayer money.
He could have cared less about the Republican party especially hated conservatives.
Yet, we the people can't understand why the Federal deficit is over 1 trillion a year.
We get what we deserve.
We deserve that bridge.
We elected the bums. Bums don't care about anything but money.
The bums love libs because libs love big governments. Bums love big government because it means more money for them and their friends and for the bums to build big stuff so that they can beat their chest and pump up tego.
SgtRock I LOLed. That may be the more ignorant post I've ever read on this message board. Thank you.
Something was needed, not uncommon for that road to be closed frequently but it was a very expensive project.
On the transportation side..it's very difficult to analyze "was it worth it". I'd love to see high speed rail thru-out the country. The question is would it ever make money? Probably not knowing the humongous infrastructure costs. Would I like to take a high speed train to SF, to Phoenix? I would.
Judging the cost effectiveness of highways, bridges, tunnels, high speed rail is very difficult. There are a lot of factors at work besides pure cost. The question is during these difficult economic times should all spending be curtailed? It's a good question with probably many answers with no right or wrong.
So if every politician quoted in this article was against, who was for it? How did it get through the chain of command that money was actually spent on it? It is pretty easy for politicians to apologize after the fact, but the bottom line is that someone voted for this.
My guess is that they saw federal dollars involved and figured it was a freebie. I hate to say it, but everyone kicked in money for it... and there's no such thing as a free lunch.
@Jon Z.: I hear you. I travel 215 in the northwest to work every morning. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to leave traffic lights on a divided highway instead of building the overpasses to begin with should be forced to drive it every day. Work is commencing at Decatur, Jones and Bradley, but I'm wondering if we're going to have to wait another decade for the overpasses to be built east and west of those locations.
The freeway was badly needed
Now concentrate on one's in Southern Nevada
It would have been much cheaper to have abandoned Carson City and rebuilt a brand new well functioning Nevada State Capitol and office buildings in Southern Nevada where 90% of the State population lives. RIP Raggio, but no more northern arrogance.
I live in Virginia. This could be a story about several locations in this state. The population here is concentrated in a few areas and the vast majority of land is not populated heavily. The folks in he highly populated areas want all the highway money. The folks in the more rural cannot get many roads built, and feel slighted. I have visited both Las Vegas and Reno/Tahoe many times. I love them both, but folks in southern Nevada should not begrudge a new road in the northern part of the state. Everybody needs a chill pill.
buck,
North-South whining is an institution in Nevada. If the whining ever stopped, then the legislators from Southern Nevada could band together and run the state.
Las Vegas needs to complete the 215, plus design the last leg of the "Beltway" - even if some homes on Sunrise Mountain need to go. Travel from the Northwest to Henderson would be removed from the already congested 95, plus Thousands of daily Vehicle trips added for the New VA Regional Hospital will Jam four lane I-15 North. An Interchange at 215 and 95N is desperately needed and on and on. If the new highway in Northern Nevada becomes part of I-11 then great, however Highway funds should be distributed based on miles traveled on any potential road.
Soon to be followed by the most expensive High Speed Rail in Nevada..............nobody's going to use it..........but isn't it pretty??????
Has anyone used the Summerlin Parkway on ramp for HOV yet. I saw the video of the first day. LOL
I'm glad that those bridges are build in Northern Nevada. Hwy 580 will be the next expansion block for I-11. I was driving back on a family trip from the Tahoe-Reno-Carson City Area, I was so shocked on the various speed traps (in Fallon, Tonopah, Goldfield, & many other towns along the way)