Carson City area road report for week of Nov. 2-8

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Nov. 2-8, 2015. Division Street will be closed between Fifth Street and King Street during daytime hours Monday through Friday due to road construction. Detours will be signed.

Utility work will continue during daytime hours, Monday through Thursday, with flagger controlled traffic at the following locations:

— Division Street between Fleischmann Way and Long Street. Road will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 5.
— Mountain Street between Fleischmann Way and Long Street.
— Fleischmann Way between Mountain Street and Division Street.
— Long Street between Mountain Street and Division Street.
— Sierra Circle, Hillside Way, Miller Way, Pine View Way, and Lane Circle.

Due to bridge maintenance, US 395 southbound will be reduced to one lane and 55 miles per hour in Douglas County at the Carson River bridge. These restrictions will be in place Nov. 2, through Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A significant water utility project will be starting on Washington Street. There will be flagger controlled traffic on Washington Street between Roop and Phillips Streets on weekdays.

A special event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 8 from noon to 3 p.m. The event includes a number of motorcycles traveling from the intersection of Carson Street and Snyder Avenue to Research Way via Carson Street and College Parkway. There will be no traffic control, but please drive safely around the motorcycles.

NDOT will continue paving operations on I-580 in Washoe Valley. There will be nightly lane closure in both directions on weekdays of I-580 from the Eastlake Boulevard interchange to the Bowers Mansion Road interchange.

There will be intermittent lane closures on Oregon Street with flagger controlled traffic between Roop Street and Wright Way Monday through Friday, as work continues at the NDOT maintenance yard.

The intersection of Cochise Street and Overland Street, as well as Cochise Street between Overland Street and Roventini Way, will be closed to through traffic Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Detours will be signed.

Utility work will continue with closures to through traffic Monday through Sunday at the following locations:
— Race Track Road between Bigelow Drive and Schulz Drive.
— Bigelow Drive between Snyder Avenue and Race Track Road.

There will be shoulder work on the west side of Conte Drive between Clearview Drive and Bennett Avenue on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two way traffic will be maintained.

The Nevada Department of Transportation will continue construction of drainage improvements on US 50 West between the two truck ramps (just west of U.S. 395 to Sierra Highlands Drive). There will be lane closures Monday through Friday, but the roadway will remain open to traffic in both directions.

Construction of the Carson City Freeway continues. Please use caution in the areas around the construction site, particularly along S. Carson Street.

Meanwhile, is urging residents to help protect water quality by preventing and reporting illicit drainage and discharge onto state roads and transportation facilities.

Illicit discharge is anything entering a roadway drainage system that is not natural stormwater. Pesticides, construction dirt or materials, as well as materials from neighboring properties and roadway runoff containing fertilizers, vehicle oil and chemicals are examples.

“NDOT is committed to preserving the clarity of stormwater crossing our roadways,” director Rudy Malfabon said. “We have stormwater protection procedures during road construction and maintenance, and we’ve invested millions in projects to help preserve the clarity of stormwater crossing our roadways. We want to continue to work with the public to help ensure that waterways and stormwater crossing state road facilities is protected.”

New legislation grants NDOT rights to issue permits for certain water discharges onto state roadways, as well as assess fines if needed.

“It’s important to remember that, in much of Nevada, any water reaching a storm drain directly enters our water system or natural environment with no filtration,” said Steve Cooke, NDOT environmental division chief. “We want to educate and work side-by-side with community members to keep that water as clean as possible. It’s about helping to preserve water quality for everyone in Nevada.”

NDOT has long been dedicated to stormwater management. The department uses best management practices to reduce the amount of water quality impacts from construction projects, installs water quality systems to most efficiently channel and provide for the clarity of roadside runoff and more. NDOT has also installed award-winning facilities to treat water runoff collected during cleaning of Tahoe-area roadside drainage.

Illicit discharge onto state transportation facilities can be reported by contacting (775) 888-7013 with the location and type of drainage or discharge. Further information on illicit discharge is also available at nevadadot.com/stormwater. In addition, a pollutant spill impacting a Nevada waterway must be reported to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection's spill reporting hotline at 1-888-331-6337.

Tips to Reduce Household Water Pollution

— Keep your car in good repair. Leaking vehicle oil and chemicals can be transported into local waterways with stormwater runoff.

— Recycle used oil and antifreeze at service stations and other recycling centers. Never put used oil or other chemicals down storm drains or in drainage ditches. (One quart of oil can contaminate up to two million gallons of drinking water!)

— Used vehicle batteries should be disposed of at appropriate recycling centers and not as general refuse. Spent vehicle batteries contain acid and heavy metals and therefore need to be disposed of properly. Do not store them outside where they can be exposed to precipitation and stormwater runoff.

— When washing your vehicles, take them to a commercial car wash facility. Wash water from vehicle washing can contain a variety of pollutants, including detergents, oils and grease, salts and dirt. Car wash facilities drain their wastewater into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the water system.

— Perform vehicle maintenance inside or under cover whenever possible. Immediately clean up spilled vehicle fluids, solvents and other chemicals to prevent water and soil contamination.

— Be aware that many chemicals commonly used around the home are toxic. Apply household chemicals per manufacturer recommendations. Use non-toxic substitutes and low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergents whenever possible.

— Fertilizers contain nutrients that can degrade local waterways and readily leach through the soil. Take care not to over-fertilize and avoid spreading fertilizer onto areas that are subject to stormwater runoff. Sweep up fertilizer that ends up on your driveway or sidewalk areas. Avoid overwatering your landscaped areas where excess runoff can transport these nutrients into the storm drain system.

— Never pour unwanted chemicals on the ground or down the drain. Soil cannot purify most chemicals, and they could eventually contaminate runoff. Take them to hazardous-waste collection centers instead.

— Keep storm gutters and drains clean of leaves and yard trimmings. Decomposing vegetative matter leaches nutrients and can clog storm systems and result in flooding.

— Clean up pet waste on a regular basis. Pet waste can be a source of bacteria and other pathogens in our waterways if exposed to stormwater runoff.