Planners envision new system of roads to manage Dayton's growth

In the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower - "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."

Lyon County is considering a plan to build a series of new roads to catch up with mounting traffic problems from Dayton to Mound House even as thousands of new residents continue to move into the area each year.

Building the planned side streets and alternate arterials may take a few battles and some hard work along the way, officials said last week.

"We're going from a very small community to a community of about 40,000 people in the next 10 to 20 years," said Lyon County Public Works Director Chuck Swanson. "We see growth happening.

"We want to take control, even at this late stage."

Lyon County enlisted Western Nevada Development District to study and map the best places to build redirect traffic off Highway 50 and onto side streets. The goal is better traffic flow from downtown Dayton and Stagecoach to Mound House and Carson City.

Proposed roads through the Sutro and River Road areas have already drawn opposition from some residents.

"People in the Sutro and River Road areas made a lot of comments they think that is an unsuitable area," said William Cadwallader, planning director at Western Nevada Development District.

A possible road near the proposed Virginia & Truckee Railroad route, which bumps into a wild horse sanctuary, could be another trouble spot. If a road is built on Bureau of Land Management land it could raise mining issues. And running the next Main Street through family neighborhoods is likely to be another battleground.

Paying for the new streets is yet another obstacle, Cadwallader said.]One answer could be to incorporate sections of the new roads to be paid for by subdivision developments, adding other sections to state road projects and have the remaining sections built by the county.

In the past decade, the Dayton area has gone from a sleepy little town of 6,000 four years ago to a booming community that is expected to reach 40,000 in the next 10 to 20 years and rival Carson City's current population of 55,220.

Developers have 6,000 new homes either under construction or in the final concept stage, Swanson said. The county expects about 1,200 new homes completed each year.

As many new homeowners have already discovered, one major accident or traffic hazard can trap them for hours enroute to or from work in Carson City and beyond.

"We are concerned with U.S. 50 because it is the major artery in Western Nevada," Cadwallader said. "Obviously, roads are the lifeblood of the economy. Anytime you have to shut down any road, you're going to effect the community."

The plan puts emphasis on building a series of roads running north to south, bypassing U.S. 50 in the downtown Dayton area to carry traffic over the busy freeway to library, homes and schools on the other side.

Another series of roads is proposed to run east to west, connecting Stagecoach to Carson City and old town Dayton to Mound House.

Without construction of alternate routes, U.S. 50 will soon need several additional traffic lights to get people around the downtown area, according to a recent traffic study. This would slow traffic to 12 miles an hour through Dayton, Cadwallader said.

Carson City should also be concerned about traffic problems coming from the Dayton area in the future, some officials say.

"As we look at this, the growth they're having is having a big impact on us," said city Development Services Director Andy Burnham. "I think the traffic figures show 50,000 cars a day (on U.S. 50). We have one point of access to Lyon County. Issues are going to spill over to us that we're going to have to resolve."

Lyon County commissioners plan to review the Western Nevada Development District proposed route maps and study in June.

Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.