Eagle to greet drivers on Carson City bypass soon

Engineers and crews from Road and Highway Builders are getting ready to install the eagle sculpture that will greet drivers at the southern end of the Carson Bypass Freeway.

Nevada Department of Transportation officials say the contractor is finalizing the structural calculations to ensure the huge metal bird can withstand the elements once it’s put in place — in particular, the wind coming down the mountain along Highway 50 to Spooner Junction.

It is, after all, a metal sculpture of a bird with large wings and will catch a lot of wind.

The eagle is about eight feet tall and weighs 800 pounds and has a 16-foot wingspan. It was forged from powder-coated aluminum by Ivak Cooper, a contractor and welding instructor from Idaho.

The bird will be installed atop a concrete pillar designed to look like a large tree stump, anchored to a concrete foundation where the bypass meets U.S. 395 (South Carson Street) and Highway 50 at Spooner Junction.

Engineers are working to “evaluate the structural integrity of the entire sculpture once the three components are connected,” according to NDOT officials.

The eagle continues the theme begun at the northern end of the bypass where another metal eagle sculpture adorns the North Carson Street overpass just north of Arrowhead Drive.