Directing traffic through Carson City

Part of the fun of having the northern half of the new freeway opening Thursday will be trying to figure out whether it saves time.

It all depends where you're coming from and where you're headed, of course, and drivers coming from the east headed for Reno obviously will benefit most. But state estimates show the biggest impact on north-south streets to be on Saliman Road, because it's the closest to the intersection of the freeway with Highway 50.

That's unfortunate, because Saliman has three schools along its route. Most times of the day, it's slow going. Extra traffic will provide some extra hazards for those schools.

For the next two years, the state and city should point drivers to Stewart Street, the most underused in Carson City. Its broad lanes and 35 mph make it a good alternative for motorists who are simply trying to get from one end of town to the other.

Local drivers and commuters will find their own most convenient route, but consider a tourist driving his rental car from Reno to South Lake Tahoe.

He swings over Lakeview Hill and follows the new freeway to Highway 50, not knowing that he has a more direct route on Carson Street.

At Highway 50 near Pinon Plaza, he exits the freeway and heads west. The first two options - Saliman and Roop - aren't going to attract his attention, because he doesn't have local knowledge. When he gets to Stewart, though, highway signs should direct him south, before he gets back to the traffic of Carson Street.

In general, Carson City needs better directional signs - not more, just better. And the folks at City Hall are working on a comprehensive plan to do just that.

A lot will change with the opening of the freeway Thursday, most of which residents will be able to figure out for themselves. But for visitors to our town, there is going to be a greater need to easily find the best way through Carson as well as being directed to the business and historic districts at the heart of the city.