Steve Ranson/LVN
Vehicles line up on a section of U.S. Highway 95 north of Schurz as repaving work continues.
From April 19-25, U.S. Highway 95 will be closed between Fallon and Schurz as the Nevada Department of Transportation reconstructs a section of highway.
According to NDOT, Highway 95 will be closed between the Fallon landfill (one-and-a-half miles south of Top Gun Raceway) and the rodeo grounds north of Schurz as crews reconstruct a section of highway. When the highway opens April 29 through approximately May 9, NDOT said traffic delays of up to 30 minutes will be in place. Pilot cars will detour alternating directions of traffic through the work zone and crews finalize reconstruction.
“Nearly one dozen electronic highway message signs will be placed across the region advising drivers of the closure,” spokesperson Meg Ragonese. “Motorists are advised to use alternate highways and plan additional travel time while detouring the closure. The road work schedule is subject to change based on weather and other factors.”
Ragonese said crews will work around the clock during the closure to excavate 10 feet of highway and reinforce and compact a 2,000-foot section of the highway base before repaving. She said reconstruction will help reinforce the deteriorating roadway base to provide a smoother and safer drive for motorists.
The highway improvement project, launched in fall 2020, will repave approximately 30 miles of U.S. 95 between the U.S. 95A junction in Schurz and 10 miles south of Fallon and make the following improvements: A four-mile-long passing lane will be constructed on northbound U.S. 95 three miles north of Schurz; a left-hand turn lane will be constructed at Rodeo Drive in Schurz; and drainage culverts and boxes will also be extended and reinforced with headwalls after being installed during emergency installation to help protect the roadway during the floods of 2017.
Ragonese said the project by contractor Road and Highway Builders will improve the highway after it was last fully reconstructed in 2003.
Dixie Valley road
Beginning April 12 through the end of the month, Dixie Valley Road (State Route 121) east of Fallon will transition from a paved to gravel road as the Nevada Department of Transportation removes and pulverizes the aging asphalt surface.
Drivers will see single lane closures on Dixie Valley Road between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays as the roadway is pulverized. A pilot car will alternate directions of traffic through the work zone. While the majority of delays will be shorter, drivers should anticipate travel delays of up to 30 minutes. Road work dates are subject to change based on weather and other factors.
About 27 miles of Dixie Valley Road connecting to U.S. 50 is a state-maintained asphalt road which then transitions into a gravel county road. The state road surface was last fully repaved in 1976 with minor resurfacing in 2012.
