NDOT begins overnight ramp/lane closures for USA Parkway ramp improvements
Courtesy Nevada Department of Transportation
Overnight ramp and lane closures will begin March 18 at the interchange of Interstate 80 and USA Parkway as the Nevada Department of Transportation widens ramps and installs a permanent traffic signal for enhanced traffic safety and flow.
Ramp closures will take place at the I-80 and USA Parkway interchange from 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Monday evenings through Saturday mornings March 18 through late June. During ramp closures, nearby detours will be available via the Patrick interchange and Waltham Way. Single lane closures will also take place on I-80 near the USA Parkway interchange from 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Monday evenings through Saturday mornings. One lane will remain available in each direction of the interstate, and interstate travel speeds will be reduced to 55 mph during lane closures. NDOT will place new portable, temporary rumble strips across travel lanes on the interstate to create both a noise and vibration to alert drivers to slow for the work zone. Used in some other states, the rumble strips have shown to reduce work zones crashes by 60 percent.
NDOT will install a permanent traffic signal at the top of the westbound I-80 ramp to USA Parkway. Replacing a temporary traffic signal installed last year, the signal will provide designated turns onto USA Parkway and help reduce potential traffic back-ups onto the interstate.
Interstate ramps will also be extended and widened on the western half of the interchange, providing safer and easier merges for vehicles traveling between Reno-Sparks and the USA Parkway. The USA Parkway on ramp to westbound I-80 will be widened from a one-lane to two-lane ramp, and an approximately 1,800 merge lane added for easier and safer access to merge onto I-80 toward Reno-Sparks. An additional 1,700-foot exit-only lane will also be added at the base of the eastbound I-80 off ramp to USA Parkway.
The approximate $6 million project by Ames Construction, Inc. is anticipated to complete in summer, with the new traffic signal to be activated by Memorial Day.
NDOT also recently installed a traffic signal and additional turn lanes at the intersection of USA Parkway and Electric Avenue, helping to enhance traffic safety and mobility for heavy shift and truck traffic turning between the parkway and warehousing areas.
As traffic increases with enhanced development at the Reno-Tahoe Industrial Center, NDOT is also evaluating potential regional interstate improvements in future years.
State road project information is available at nevadadot.com or by dialing (775) 888-7000.
