Nevada Department of Transportation
Lyon County officials and the Nevada Department of Transportation announced as of Thursday they expect State Route 208 through the Wilson Canyon to be closed indefinitely following Tuesday’s landslide and rockfall.
Lyon’s emergency manager Taylor Allison told the Nevada Appeal Thursday night after she and county manager went to inspect the area it would hard to say how long for certain the roadway would be closed.
“(NDOT)’s had the engineers in the field looking at it,” she said. “There’s no indication of any life safety issues.”
According to a statement from NDOT on Thursday, the landslide and rockfall likely was caused by recent heavy precipitation in the area, with debris falling across approximately 400 feet of roadway between mileposts 14 and 15 at about 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The roadway is closed to through traffic between Hudson Aurora Road and State Route 339, a section of road running through the Wilson Canyon between Smith Valley and Yerington. Approximately 1,800 drivers travel through the area each day.
The release from NDOT indicates the department’s geotechnical engineers began reviewing the site Thursday to help evaluate stability and safety of the area and begin planning for rockfall removal. No timeframe for rock removal has been finalized, and an extended roadway closure is expected to safely remove the major rockfall, mitigate potential future rockfall and repair the road.
While alternate routes are sparse in the rural area, potential options include accessing Yerington or Douglas County via U.S. 95A/U.S. 50 or U.S. 395 south and north of the area.
Allison said she was unaware of any disruption to utilities but added services would be available to Smith Valley residents as needed.
Continuing heavy precipitation from recent winter storms has potential to bring water, snow, rock, mud and other potentially dangerous conditions to roadways regionwide. NDOT reminds motorists to avoid unnecessary travel, and to drive attentively and slowly in inclement conditions. Winter driving safety tips are available at dot.nv.gov/winter. Motorists can visit www.nvroads.com before driving for current highway conditions and controls.