Could Carson City see the completion of the South Carson Street overpass? The answer is: It's complicated

Following November’s deadly crash at the intersection of I-580, Highway 395 and Highway 50 that killed two and left several injured, many residents have questioned if this crash and others at the intersection could have been avoided if the original planning design of the freeway, which included an overpass between I-580 and Highway 50, had been finished.

In the past two years, at least 21 crashes have been reported at or near the intersection, many including rollovers, vehicles catching on fire, and numerous injuries.

While many have asked if the overpass will be completed, the answer does not seem to be a simple “yes” or “no.”

Originally, the plans for the portion of I-580 that would connect between Fairview Drive and the intersection of 395 and 50 included an overpass over South Carson St.

Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition due to NDOT not having enough funding prior to the project’s completion.

“There was not funding available to construct both the final four-mile freeway extension and proposed overpass at the southern end of the interstate,” said NDOT spokesperson Meg Ragonese. “But, NDOT did dedicate funding to open the final section of freeway in 2017 which currently serves as many as 40,000 drivers daily.”

With the recent passing of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Nevada will be provided with a portion of the $1 trillion approved funds specifically for infrastructure.

According to Gov. Steve Sisolak, Nevada’s funding will be as follows:

• $2.5 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs
• $459 million for public transportation
• $403 million for water infrastructure
• $293 million for airport improvements
• $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs
• $100 million for broadband infrastructure
• $38 million for the expansion of electric vehicle charging stations
• $12 million in cybersecurity infrastructure
• $8.6 million for wildfire prevention

However, out of that $2.5 billion for highway programs, it is unlikely at this time that any funding will go toward the overpass project.

The main issue facing the project’s completion falls into prioritization or rather, the lack of it.

One problem seems to be that the project jurisdiction is listed as both within NDOT’s jurisdiction as well as Carson City’s, meaning both entities must help pay for the project, which is estimated at $54 million to complete.

According to NDOT, those at the Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, are responsible for transportation planning for Carson City, northern Douglas County and western Lyon County.

CAMPO develops the Regional Transportation Plan, a 20-year long range transportation plan, which identifies future transportation projects in the region, as well as the Transportation Improvement Program of transportation improvements to be made in the coming four years, said Ragonese.

According to the Regional Transportation Plan, the project is currently slated for completion sometime between 2031 and 2050, with a cost estimate at $54 million.

“While funding for an overpass is not currently in the plan of identified transportation improvements for the coming five years, NDOT will continue to prioritize the most critical future Nevada highway priorities,” said Ragonese.

According to Ragonese, funding priority comes directly from the Regional Transportation Plan and other similar plans which are devised at the local level prior to being submitted to NDOT.

However, according to Christopher Martinovich, Transportation Manager of Carson City’s Public Works Department, it is NDOT who has the authority on prioritization, not CAMPO.

“The interchange highways of I-580, US 395, and US 50 are owned and maintained by NDOT. CAMPO’s ability to prioritize and initiate projects on NDOT owned highways is very limited,” said Martinovich. “NDOT has not programmed any funding for this interchange to this point; however, Carson City has agreed in the past to participate in funding a portion of the construction of the interchange.”

Martinovich went on to clarify that both NDOT and CAMPO work together on project prioritization within the Regional Transportation Plan, and CAMPO continues to work with NDOT to evaluate project prioritization based on changes in transportation needs.

“CAMPO can recommend that NDOT prioritize certain projects, but we do that in coordination with NDOT, especially when those roads are owned and maintained by NDOT,” said Martinovich. “CAMPO and Carson City do not have the sole ability to prioritize a project on NDOT’s roads.”

According to Martinovich, CAMPO has identified the full system interchange in the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan, meaning it is a regionally significant transportation project.

However, it is listed in the 2031-2050 long-range project category because it has not been prioritized for funding.

Martinovich and Ragonese both stated that just because it is slated for the 2031-2050 does not mean it could not happen sooner. It could be moved up to a sooner date, if it is prioritized.

Nevada State Assemblyman P.K. O’Neill stated that he is determined that NDOT view the completion of the overpass project as a priority.

“It is my intent to have NDOT make the overpass a priority project,” said O’Neill. “We've had three fatalities now in a matter of a few weeks. At times, it takes waiting through multiple green lights before being able to proceed. With the various businesses and increased housing activity in and around the interchange, it is foolish to think things will improve.”

However, how projects become prioritized is the question at hand, as well as whether or not the overpass could become prioritized and receive funding during this decade.

“Given limited resources, NDOT will utilize our existing prioritization processes to prioritize transportation projects in a collaborative and coordinated process involving public input and consultation with local and regional governments to maximize the benefits of transportation investments,” said Ragonese. “Federal and state-funded transportation projects are prioritized through our One Nevada Plan process.”

According to Ragonese, NDOT prioritization under the One Nevada Plan process is based on six key goal areas:

• Enhance safety by building, maintaining, and operating the safest transportation system possible.

• Preserve infrastructure to support economic vitality, visitor experience, and travel safety.

• Optimize mobility to provide convenient and reliable movement of people and goods across all modes.

• Transform economies by supporting an innovative transportation framework.

• Foster sustainability by lowering long-term maintenance costs, promoting fiscal responsibility, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

• Connect communities to local resources and amenities and collaborate with partners to best serve our communities.

According to NDOT, the prioritization is based on a set of data and criteria, with the “Crash Reduction Potential” criteria category holding the most weight at 22 percent.

The Crash Reduction Potential is based on NDOT GIS 5 Year Crash Data; however, crash data available online only extends to 2019. An interactive crash data web map is only available for crash data for the years 2015-2017.

The second category holding the most weight is “Travel Time Reliability” at 10 percent, followed by “Pavement Condition Improvement” at 8 percent.

According to NDOT, each project receives a “score” based on this criteria using the One Nevada MODA Tool (Multi-Objective Decision Analysis).

The overpass project, however, has not yet received a score.

“Projects within urbanized areas, such as the Carson City area, are prioritized by the regional metropolitan planning organization,” said Ragonese. “A potential overpass at the Spooner junction intersection of U.S. 50 and U.S. 395 in southern Carson City has been listed within CAMPO’s Regional Transportation Plan as an unfunded need, and has not been evaluated using the MODA tool.”

It is not known why CAMPO has not chosen the overpass for prioritization. Mayor Lori Bagwell, Vice Chair of CAMPO, did not return comment regarding the overpass project for this story.

One reason the project has not been deemed a priority could be its $54 million price tag. In a 2020 report from Carson City regarding the roads budget, the city has an annual budget of approximately $4 million with an annual estimated funding deficit of $15 million.

At this time, it is not known how the federal funds allocated to Nevada will be dispersed.

“It is important to know that programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will likely need to go through ‘rule making’ at the federal level to define the eligibilities and process to guide states in identifying the best uses of those funds,” said Ragonese.

NDOT is also working on its own analysis in cooperation with agency partners, such as metropolitan planning organizations and other state agencies, and is prepared to utilize the funds once federal guidance and rules are available, said Ragonese.

“We will have more information in future months regarding specifics in the new programs, as well as projects and programs we are considering for acceleration.”

One thing seems certain: without a prioritization for the overpass project, it will not be completed within this decade. Whether or not it receives a prioritization remains to be seen, both at the local level through CAMPO as well as through NDOT.