The Nevada Department of Transportation has largely completed a project aimed at enhancing traffic safety with raised center turn lane islands and other improvements on U.S. 50 near the Smith’s Shopping Center in Dayton.
The approximately $300,000 project constructed by Sierra Nevada Construction installed approximately 4,250 linear feet of concrete raised turn islands in the median of U.S. 50 at three shopping center entrances: Retail Road, Pinecone Road and the main entrance to the Smith’s shopping center.
A median island and merging lane was also added for eastbound turns onto U.S. 50 from Fortune Drive. The raised medians provide protected turn pockets for traffic to enter and exit. Roadway shoulders were also widened on both sides of U.S. 50 to allow for longer deceleration lanes, providing safer right hand turns. The project completed on time, with a few remaining roadway guideposts scheduled to be installed in the next weeks.
“As the number of vehicles and development has grown, we’ve been widening and enhancing U.S. 50 east of Carson over the past years. These improvements are a part of our continuing commitment to safety and mobility for everyone traveling U.S. 50,” NDOT Director Rudy Malfabon said. “We also want to remind everyone on the road to drive at appropriate and safe speeds, to never drive impaired as well as to focus on the road and stay in your lane.”