Dayton road work wrapping up

Dayton drivers will have some relief from the seemingly endless road work when a highway construction project is completed in September.

Scott Magruder, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said daylight construction will be completed by the start of school on Aug. 28. The crews will then work nights to complete the repaving and widening of a 10-mile stretch of Highway 50 between State Route 341 and Chavez Road to meet the September deadline.

"Right now at Dayton Hill we are doing the final layer of paving." he said.

Lyon County commuters have been battling with construction zones on the county's only thoroughfare since April.

Currently, construction in front of the Dayton Depot and, more specifically, just before drivers ascend Dayton Hill, can cause delays of around 15 minutes.

"I'm very glad to know construction's going to be done," said Greg Smith, employee at S&S Deli and Mini Market on Highway 50 East. "I can use Pike Street to get from my house to work, but for my wife who works out at Carson Plains there have often been 20 to 30 minute delays for her getting to work and home from work. She's been kind of unhappy about that, so she'll be very glad to know."

Magruder said that once the daytime construction stops, crews will begin shifts at 7 or 8 p.m. and work through the night, clearing the roads by morning rush hour.

"The daytime delays basically will be completed by Wednesday of next week," he said. "Until then, expect some daytime delays of 10 to 15 minutes."

The $14.3 million project came in response to the growth surge Lyon County has been experiencing in the last two years. In April, contractor Road and Highway Builders of Reno was fined $7,000 for traffic delays - some as long as an hour - which caused the cancellation of an elementary school field trip as the buses to transport the children were caught in the miles-long traffic jam.

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.