18 mile road next on slate for industrial center

As new business moves into the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center in Storey County, the owners are building a new road to connect it to the world.

Or at least make it easier to get from point A to point B.

"It's projected to reduce the shipping time between Reno and Las Vegas by approximately one hour," TRI Center Director of Marketing Lance Gilman said.

Highway 805 will connect Interstate 80 at Tracy with Highway 50 at the Ramsey-Weeks Cutoff. The new road will traverse 18 miles, crossing Asamera Ranch, which is home of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.

Gilman said the road resolution was passed by the state Legislature in October 2003. They hope to complete two and a half miles by the spring. Roger Norman is the TRI co-owner and managing partner.

"We have built the first mile of road and we're commencing construction on the second mile and a half," he said. "We're in the process of commencing construction of the new interchange at I-80."

Builders will move the Tracy Clark I-80 ramp east and rename it the USA Parkway. The ramp will cost $12 million. The entire road with infrastructure will cost $600 to $800 a foot.

Business demand will influence how quickly they get the entire 18-mile stretch completed. But so far businesses in the center requested that the next two and a half miles be completed, Gilman said. About 1,000 employees work at the center, which is billed as the nation's largest industrial park. Of the park's 100,000 acres, the first 6,000 acres are under development.

Storey County Commissioner Greg "Bum" Hess said the road will benefit truckers in Southern Nevada and California and those in Storey County.

"The road will help out Storey County," he said. "We're real excited about the park going in there."

Business at the center

Several companies have already set up shop at the center. They include CalKan, a pet food manufacturer; Royal Sierra Plastics; West Cerac, which manufactures the ceramic coating on space shuttles; SanMar, a supplier of wholesale apparel; and Dell computers.

Hardie Building Products has completed half of its 500,000-square-foot factory. It will employ 600 people at about $16 an hour, Hess said. Hardie makes siding and concrete backer board for tile.

"There's two electrical generation facilities out there and the third one is about to be built," Gilman said.

The Tracy Clark Power Plant is operated by Sierra Pacific Power. Nanawai is operated by Morgan Stanley. Barrett Gold will build a new 125-megawatt plant in the same area.

"That's a wonderful thing for Northern Nevada because that gives us three generators," Gilman said. "So power outages will become a thing of the past."

Contact Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.

The Tahoe Reno Industrial Center is located in Storey County about seven miles east of the Reno-Sparks area on I-80. Its main entrances are the Patrick and Tracy interchanges on I-80.

The new road

Highway 805 will connect Interstate 80 at Tracy with Highway 50 at the Ramsey-Weeks Cutoff. The new road will traverse 18 miles, crossing Asamera Ranch, which is home of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.

'It's projected to reduce the shipping time between Reno and Las Vegas by approximately one hour.'

- TRI Center Director of Marketing Lance Gilman