NDOT will be hosting public information meetings April 12 and 13 to gather community feedback for future major improvements to the Spaghetti Bowl.
The Nevada Department of Transportation will host public information meetings on April 12 and 13 to gather community feedback as part of the environmental assessment phase of future Reno-Sparks spaghetti bowl and freeway improvements.
NDOT is soliciting public input on potential impacts of future major improvements to the spaghetti bowl and neighboring freeways. The public feedback will be incorporated as project alternatives are evaluated over the next approximately three and a half years as part of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, phase of the project. The freeway improvements would then be designed and built in subsequent years. The three-and-a-half year timeframe is several years less than the national average for this type of major environmental review.
“The Reno-Sparks population has more than tripled since the spaghetti bowl was first constructed back in the 1970s,” NDOT Director Rudy Malfabon explained. “In the near future, we will be making interstate improvements to better assist traffic leading into the spaghetti bowl. But, we’re also looking to long-term improvements. Working alongside the community and our partners at the Federal Highway Administration and Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, we are fast-tracking major future improvements to keep the community safe and connected not just for years, but decades to come.”
NDOT’s current traffic study is also identifying future regional transportation needs and improvements through 2040, using regional growth forecasts to estimate future traffic levels and help identify targeted improvements to I-80, I-580 and U.S. 395 outside of the spaghetti bowl.
NDOT is also planning near-term improvements in the next few years, including ramp meters, wrong-way driver detection and more, to improve driver safety and mobility on U.S. 395 from the Spaghetti Bowl north to the Nevada-California state line. Through the next five years, NDOT also plans to enhance and extend the Clear Acre Lane to southbound U.S. 395 ramp, as well as repave U.S. 395 between McCarran Boulevard and Lemmon Drive and add one additional southbound lane on U.S. 395. Other enhancements are also being evaluated to improve eastbound I-80 to southbound I-580 access and mobility.
The public information meetings will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 12 at the Sparks Library located at 1125 12th Street and Thursday, April 13 at the Wooster High School cafeteria at 1331 Plumb Lane in Reno. The public is invited to attend either open-format meeting at any time between 4 and 7 p.m. to learn more and provide comments. An informational presentation will be held at 5:30 p.m. Comments about the project can also be made by e-mail at njohnson@dot.nv.gov or by mail to Nick Johnson, NDOT project manager, at 1263 South Stewart Street, Carson City, NV., 89712. Further information is available at (775) 622-5555 or by visiting ndotspaghettibowl.com.
