It's Official: Carson City Freeway now open
With all the celebratory fanfare last month, Wednesday morning brought a much-anticipated and collective welcome refrain of "finally" for Carson City area motorists who have patiently waited for the last leg opening of the I-580 freeway.
As of 10 a.m. access from the southern end of the freeway was opened to motorists who are now able to travel the southern three miles of freeway that has been under construction since June 2015.
Because of the relative newness of the freeway, the Nevada Department of Transportation urges motorists to drive attentively and anticipate minor lane and traffic pattern changes across the area as drivers learn the road. Periodic, minor roadside shoulder and lane closures will take place on South Carson Street and the Carson City Freeway for finishing construction.
Prior to construction of I-580, Nevada was one of only a few states without an interstate connecting to the capital city. The new segment of freeway marks completion of I-580 linking Reno and Carson City. Since breaking ground in 2000, construction of the approximately nine-mile I-580 Carson City Freeway has been phased to best utilize available funding.
Nearly six million cubic yards of earth were moved, 18 million pounds of reinforcing steel installed and more than $200 million in federal, state and local transportation funds dedicated to construct the freeway between Lakeview Hill in north Carson City and the U.S. 50 junction in the southern part of the city.
In December 2015, the freeway was officially dedicated as the Carson City Deputy Sheriff Carl Howell Memorial Freeway. Aimed at increasing traffic mobility and safety with an interstate bypass to help remove through-traffic congestion from downtown Carson City, an estimated 43,000 vehicles daily are projected to use the new southern section of freeway by 2035.
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