Kingsbury Grade delays expected as road work starts

The Nevada Department of Transportation will begin a project Sept. 11 to enhance roadway drainage pipes on Kingsbury Grade (State Route 207).

Between Sept. 11 and late summer of 2018, single lane closures with a traffic flagger will periodically be in place on the Carson Valley side of Kingsbury Grade between mileposts 3 and 11. The single lane closures will primarily take place Mondays through Fridays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., with periodic Saturday lane closures. Motorists should anticipate travel delays of up to 30 minutes through the work zone. Construction will not take place during major special events or the December, January and February winter construction shutdown.

Approximately 15,000 feet of eroding roadway drainage pipe will be reinforced with a cured-in-place pipe liner. A flexible pipe liner is inserted into existing drainage pipes. Resins in the liners are then hardened, creating a durable pipe able to last decades. The reinforcing pipe liners are often more cost-effective and less disruptive than traditional “dig and replace” pipe repair methods. The project will also replace certain roadway drainage inlets and add manholes for additional drainage access.

This winter, NDOT repaired a sinkhole which formed where a drainage pipe crosses underneath Kingsbury Grade, less than 10 miles up the road on the Carson Valley side. NDOT took underground video to review other roadway drainage pipes, finding moderate erosion of some pipes.

The approximately $4.4 million project by contractor Q&D Construction is a proactive measure to help preserve roadway stability and safety for all of those who rely on Kingsbury Grade to connect Tahoe and the Carson Valley. The section of road is traveled by approximately 5,600 vehicles daily, with many of the drainage features first constructed by federal agencies in the 1960s. NDOT also has future plans to improve other areas of roadway drainage on the highway.

In recent years, NDOT has dedicated approximately $54 million to improving roadway drainage and preserving stormwater quality along Tahoe-area state roadways.