V&T bridge in Mound House slated to be done by March

Construction on a bridge across Highway 50 East in Mound House for the V&T Railway is expected to be completed by March, with the bridge being installed in two parts in the coming weeks, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Spokesman Scott Magruder said work to install the footings for the salvaged bridge has been going well. The center support column is completed, and crews from Q&D Construction are working on the two end support pieces.

"The complete project will be done in August, but the bridge will be in place in about two months," he said.

Once construction on the end support columns is completed, crews are expected to reduce traffic to one lane each direction to install one portion of the bridge.

"Any closures will be at night and will not affect the daily commute or rush hour traffic," he said.

Contractors also are debating whether to illuminate the bridge, he said. Currently there are reflectors at the foot of the center column, but because there are no street lights in the area, the columns are difficult to see at night.

The 48-year-old Union Pacific Railroad's Boulder Branch Bridge was in Las Vegas before being purchased and moved north.

The 18-mile tourist railroad will run from Virginia City to Carson City and is modeled after the original 19th-century track. About six miles of track have been completed from Gold Hill to outside Mound House.

The additional costs of building concrete abutments on the new site, guardrails, bridge modifications, moving and setting the bridge will be more than $500,000. The public commission in charge of the project needs to raise additional funds to bring the rest of the track through the Carson River Canyon.

The entire project is estimated to cost at least $55 million.