NDOT gets permission for colored mesh to hold rocks on SR 341

By Karen Woodmansee

Appeal Staff Writer

The Nevada Department of Transportation is color coordinating the wire mesh it uses to keep rocks in place on steep landslides over State Route 341.

Gary Williams, resident engineer with NDOT, said the state will use wire mesh that is between a tan and beige color - resembling the color of the rocks - rather than the brown that had been used in the past.

The Storey County Commission this week approved the department's request to put the mesh on six slopes north of Virginia City, from 1 to 4.4 miles north. The mesh will prevent large rocks from falling on the highway.

Crews will also do some slope scaling to remove some hazardous rocks and stabilize the hillsides, some of which have more than a 20 percent slope, Williams said.

"These were identified as continuing problem areas," he said.

The work was expected to be done through the spring and summer.

Williams said the department checked with Comstock Historic District Administrator Bert Bedeau to make sure the mesh color was appropriate, since the last time mesh was installed, about seven or eight years ago, he said, there was an outcry over an inappropriate color.

"I walked to each slope and checked, and the brown stands out more," he said. "The tan didn't stand out as much. It looked very good on all of the slopes."

He also told the commissioners that the job has a set amount of funding and can't go over, so if a bid comes in high, some of the work will have to be canceled.

Commissioner Bob Kershaw said that despite the controversy that came about the last time the mesh was installed, the results were positive.

"I drive that road and I don't even see it," he said.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 881-7351.