By james art 
About 70 years ago, Pyramid Lake Road near Renault was a dusty in the way connecting small farms. Today, the Pyramid Highway has become a trafficking arterial, serving 50,000 vehicles a day.
To catch up, the Nevada Transport Division (NDOT) has undertaken a massive reconstruction of the critical roadway, which will make it a modern, multimodal corridor for a fast -growing region.
The work of 2.5 miles from the North-South City Highway right east of Renault has been underway from mid-2023. When it is completed this summer, the project in suburban sparks will recover and expand much of the road from four to six tapes and added bicycle sails, sidewalks, curbs and gutters. Other enhancements include the barrier -protected path for shared use on one side of the road, intelligent traffic signals, sound walls, improved lighting, landscaping and improved drainage infrastructure.
“These upgrades are designed to improve traffic, safety and accessibility for all users,” says Nanet Maxwell, a senior project manager for NDOT, the leading project agency. “This project will not only reduce traffic and travel congestion, but will also generate significant savings from crash for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians,” as improvements are expected to reduce any accidents.
Interested parties were in the course of the destructive elements of working with a strong public engagement campaign.
With the kind assistance of Nevada’s transport
Maintain traffic movement
Efforts of 66 million dollars-the first phase of the six-phase Pyramid highway project finances through a combination of federal, state and local sources, including $ 23 million Federal better, using investments to use gratuitous aid, such as NDOT and The Regional Transport Committee (RTC) of the Washo County also contributes. The Watsonville -based, California -based granite structure is a general contractor.
The population of Renault’s larger area has grown by 50% from 2001 to 2001 to 500,000, with the home of the corridor of many of these residents – and is probably the home of the future. The remaining phases of the project are intended to expand capacity, improve multimodal accessibility and improve connectivity in fast -growing areas of the east and north of Renault and in suburban sparks.
The road – designed state road 445 – still extends north from Renault to Pyramid Lake, the third largest lake in Nevada behind Lake Meade and Lake Tahoe. For Renault, it remains an important route for traveling for the growing population. Nearly 40,000 people live within two miles of the project, and more than 90% of them work outside the area. This places the maintenance of traffic flow close to the priorities of the construction team.
“A significant achievement that separates this project compared to similar projects on the main corridors was that during construction we maintained the same amount of traffic on sails during the day of the day – which in practice left the typical motorist who was not affected by the construction process “Says Granit Granite Manager of Construction Projects Matthew Weber. “This is a huge achievement for a project of this scale.”
Part of this included the use of drone images, which was included in the planning of traffic flow, pavement and overall construction.
“The drone image is an integral part of the success of this project,” Weber says. “Planning the current drone images is a luxury that this project managed to take advantage of it, and this led to better plans that reduce the impact on the public.”
2200 feet of the sound walls of the project are decorated with nature -inspired elements obtained from the region.
With the kind assistance of Nevada’s transport
Effective work
For its part, the public has mostly taken on the interruptions of traffic.
“Motorists have adapted well to the project,” says Alma Piceno-Cyrires, NDOT assistant assistant assistant. “We had no incidents related to our movement control.”
Along with showing patience, the public also contributed to making the project more aesthetically pleasing.
“Planning the current drone images is a luxury that this project managed to take advantage of it, and this led to better plans that reduce the impact on the public.”
– Matthew Weber, project leader, granite
Formed in 2200 feet of the sound walls of the project are elements inspired by nature such as fish and waves that pay tribute to Lake Pyramid, about 30 miles from the construction zone and the northern end of the highway. The breakdown of the decorative wave of parts of the wall turned out to be struck by some of the public, which led to a quick response from the design team.
NDOT works with the public to develop alternatives and solutions to mask the unwanted interruption of the model while improving the overall design with metal works of art.
“This unexpected challenge was resolved with the help and contribution of the Community,” says Piceno-Cerafi. “Ndot provided some representations that would darken the wave vacation so that the community could vote through the project website. The two with the most votes will be made and added to the walls. “
Along with the vote on sound walls designs, the public managed to use the website and other communication tools to track the project and to engage with NDOT.
“The presence of a project website and various methods of communication with the community and stakeholders is valuable,” says Piceno-Cyrires. “We were able to respond quite quickly to public comments through the capabilities of the website and we will continue these methods of communication for future projects.”
Improvement of drainage infrastructure along the corridor of the state road 445 was a key element of the project.
With the kind assistance of Nevada’s transport
High -pressure situation
Along with the walls above the ground, the project encountered an unidentified underground problem earlier, which required it to carefully operate around a high-pressure water line that serves the nearby community of the Spanish springs.
The local water program informs the construction team that the line should be at least 2 feet underground, with a subsequent examination of the data for examining the underground auxiliary program, revealing a small section of the pipe, there will be less than 2 feet of coverage.
“Meetings were held between NDOT, granite and the local water body to develop a work plan that allows the contractor to continue to work,” says Aaron Lobato, coordinator of the project for the design of road sails in NDOT.
Exposure to too much of the high -pressure line can invite the pipe damage, and the stopping of the water flow is not an option. The crews turned to the challenge, working with 50 -foot steps to dig and remove the surface material to the subgrade, which was classified and compacted. The pipe was then temporarily covered with gravel, which would be replaced by a layer of aggregate base to be added as part of the final construction of the roadway.
The current job is part of the first of the six phases aimed at upgrading the corridor.
With the kind assistance of Nevada’s transport
The joint elements of the project-from a stable social engagement on the website to the multi-agent real-time cooperation-have been cited as examples of understanding how important the pyramid highway is for today and tomorrow.
“This project is regional importance and will provide significant benefits for the growing community,” says Amanda Kalegari, head of RTC engineering. “To ensure its successful delivery, RTC and NDOT have joined their efforts to implement these vital improvements.”
Callegari says interdepartmental efforts also include RTC, which collaborates with NDOT through the National Environment Policy Law and the completion of an environmental impact survey as part of a “partnership that will continue through the other project phases”.
The most ambitious of the other phases, Phase 3, offers the construction of a new connection between the pyramid highway and the USA 395 directly north of Renault, offering an additional travel route north-south.
RTC is currently progressing part of Phase 5, known as Pyramid/Sparks Rentchange to 60% design level, to reduce future rights conflicts with developmental development in the area.
In addition, design work starts at Phase 3 to plan better for the necessary funding and for evaluating potential construction packaging.