NDOT to install temporary lights at US-50, Sheckler

The Nevada Department of Transportation and Churchill County commissioners and county manager Jim Barbee developed the following proposed expedited schedule for the installation of temporary and permanent traffic signals at the intersection:

December 2019: Project opens to contractor bids for temporary signal system

January-February 2020: Contractor hired and begins working on installing the temporary signal

Late Summer 2020: Permanent signal installed by NDOT contractors

Drivers should anticipate new lane configurations at the intersection. With the new traffic signal and configurations in place, NDOT reminds motorists to drive safely and attentively and to follow all traffic control devices. Drivers should be prepared to stop at the new signal and leave extra time to travel through the intersection.

“We are grateful to NDOT for accelerating its process for installing both the temporary and the permanent signals at the Sheckler and Highway 50 intersection,” Barbee said in a news release.

He commended NDOT for adding the installation of a temporary signal as part of its overall plan to install a permanent signal and compressing the advertising period from six to two weeks for contractors to submit bids for the project.

Churchill County commissioners have considered the Sheckler Cutoff-U.S. Highway 50 intersection as their No. 1 priority for safety improvements.

The action comes after a motorist was killed at the intersection two weeks ago. During the past decade, NDOT records show the intersection has been the site of 38 crashes and 15 injuries. Five motorists have also been killed since 2007.

The latest action has drawn overwhelming support on Facebook comments to LVN from area residents who prefer traffic lights to be installed at the intersection. Although some have suggested a roundabout or no lights, many people said, “It’s about time.”