Commissioner wants to make new Dayton bridge top priority

Lyon County Commission Chairman Don Tibbals recently said he would rather hold off on road-paving projects and use all available funds to build the second Dayton bridge.

He said he wanted to delay any paving "to see if we can get our bridge together in Dayton."

He wanted to take all of the funding from Lyon County and put it toward building the bridge off of Cardelli Road, "so we're not paying out cash for the next year for a feasibility study."

He said he expected a report on the cost and needs to build the bridge in about 60 days, and he met with the Regional Transportation Commission on getting started.

Commissioner Phyllis Hunewill said she would also like to see all money used to build the bridge.

"If you take the money from the roads, instead of building the roads at today's oil costs, it will cost $25,000 a mile," she said. "If we save that much a mile and put that toward the bridge in today's economy, we'll get a 40 percent discount."

Tibbals, who is running for re-election, said if the report is not favorable, the county could go back to the feasibility study.

"We can compare the cost of the oil to the cost of the bridge," he said.

County Engineer Dick Faber said the engineer is nearly done with the site assessment for the bridge crossing at Cardelli Road.

A study was begun in May to come up with cost estimates for a bridge at Cardelli, which was the preferred location for a bridge of a majority of residents who attended a Dayton Regional Advisory Council meeting on the subject in February 2007. The

other location being considered at the time was Chaves Road.

In March 2007, the commission chose Cardelli Road as the location for the second bridge.

The bridge at Dayton Valley Road is the only access for residents living south of the Carson River, and residents are concerned that a flood or other disaster could leave them cut off.

Lyon County Sheriff Allen Veil and Central Lyon County Fire Chief John Gillenwater have both said that the Cardelli location was preferable from an emergency services standpoint.

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