Reno DMV groundbreaking Wednesday

Groundbreaking is Wednesday for the new south Reno Department of Motor Vehicles center.

The building was included in the construction budget by the 2018 Legislature at an estimated cost of $42 million. But that cost has already escalated significantly, forcing the state to defer some parts of the project including landscaping. The 2019 Legislature will be asked to add an estimated $8.6 million to the budget to cover those increased costs, bringing the total price of the building to just over $50 million.

Lawmakers were told the price of all projects is increasing rapidly in the Reno-Sparks area because the construction industry is booming.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday. Gov. Brian Sandoval and DMV Director Terri Albertson will be at the site at the intersection of Sandhill Road and Double Diamond Parkway.

The project was approved as critically needed to replace the outdated and overwhelmed Galletti Way DMV office — currently the only office serving the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. The existing office was built in the 1960s when the population of Reno-Sparks was just over 50,000. Now the area has more than 400,000 residents.