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Return to Info Materials main page. I-580 Freeway Comes to Life in Pleasant ValleyFollowing the efforts of many freeway design experts, community members, elected officials, and project advocates who have helped shape the I-580 Freeway Extension Project, design for the 8.5 miles is complete! This project, while not the longest facility ever built in northern Nevada, has its share of technical and environmental challenges that are unique. The project is divided into two sets of plans so that the bridge construction activity could begin while the final details for the roadway section were completed. Now that the entire facility is designed, the project moves to full-tilt construction, aiming for an opening date in 2009!
This last set of plans to be completed, called Package B, will be bid in late 2005. Included in this set of drawings are three additional bridges, a new interchange at Bowers Mansion (old US 395), completion of the interchange at the Mt. Rose Highway, earthwork, grading and paving of the roadway sections connecting all the bridges on the project, retaining walls to support the facility along the hillside, signing, striping, lighting, and installing traffic signals. Package B also includes placement of more water quality basins to collect rainfall from the freeway. One water quality basin has been built in Package A at the intersection of Parker Ranch Road and US 395, and is now visible from the street. Specified in great detail in Package B are design of wide ditches and shoulders to handle the snow storage and removal activity during winter conditions; fixed, automated antiicing at four critical bridges; accommodation of a two-lane, multi-use path at the Mt. Rose Interchange addressing the growing needs for pedestrian and bicycle access. "The sheer magnitude of this project is what has struck me. It is so big with so many details in so many areas. To see it all come together is a big accomplishment for the NDOT project team," says Tim Kashuba, the design manager for the consultant Team. Did You Know...?
First Structures Pop Up for the New FreewayWebcams show the progress of the Galena Creek Bridge construction daily as Package A construction moves forward at a rapid pace this summer (2005). The first elements of work on this package, which are complete, included temporary construction access roads, temporary bridge crossings at the creeks, construction of Parker Ranch Road and Kelly Canyon Road, and the support structures (foundations) at the St. James and Parker Ranch Road overcrossings. Browns Creek is closest to completion; foundations and columns are complete, and the bridge deck is well underway. Foundations at Galena Creek are nearly complete and columns are being poured.
The technical complexity of the Galena Creek Bridge is due to the arch design using both steel and concrete. The arch will be built as two identical bridges, one for each travel direction. The arch is formed with 10 welded steel segments that are covered and filled with concrete. The welded steel segments are known as the pilot truss (see photo above). The arch portion of the bridge will sit between two large concrete “thrust blocks” (or anchors). A total of 12 concrete piers (6 for each directional bridge), many of which you can see today, will support the bridge deck of this longest, tallest bridge in Nevada. Other activity in this first phase of construction is the completed grading of slopes uphill of Kelly Canyon Road near Parker Ranch Road. These slopes have been treated with rocks excavated from the project and stained to look like they have always been there. Pockets around rocks have been filled with topsoil harvested from the site and planted with native vegetation to help prevent erosion and to create a more natural look to the hillsides. This sample area of the rock placement, staining, and planting will be replicated in many areas of the completed project. NDOT, construction crews, and the designers of this hillside treatment are very pleased with the way the slopes are taking shape. Keeping You ConnectedWith the height of the construction activity nearing, NDOT is gearing
up communications with the local community and those Project Website – This site will continue to have the latest
information on construction schedule, progress, and impacts Project Email Blasts – By visiting our website you can enroll
in our Email Blast list that will send you monthly, sometimes Project Mailings – We will continue to produce
newsletters, flyers, and other mailings to keep you up to date on the
progress Project Documentary – NDOT is documenting
and recording the construction of the freeway project and plans to
produce a Connecting With Our Next GenerationNDOT is working with Pleasant Valley Elementary School teachers and administrators to connect our kids with the science, environmental protection, and career opportunities provided by a mega project, such as this. We are developing classroom presentations and activities to increase students’ knowledge about what it takes to build such a project, and what it means to the neighborhood and the environment. The construction contractor, Edward Kraemer and Sons (Kraemer), has already talked with Ms. Spallone’s 6th graders at Pleasant Valley Elementary. Engineers and construction managers prepared photographs of the bridges being built in Pleasant Valley, showed a video of other bridge projects, and discussed with the students how these projects are built. Chad Dubs of Kraemer was asked, "How big is the bridge and how long will it take to finish?" Chad mentioned that some of the students were curious about what made him want to become an engineer and equally as important, how much he makes doing it! Other students wanted to know what classes they needed to take to become an engineer and work on construction projects. In the spirit of being a good neighbor and wanting to partner with the community, NDOT plans increased involvement with the school and other stakeholders along the project alignment. More classroom activity, career days, and website education are planned in the near future. For more information about the NDOTs program, Connecting with our Next Generation, please contact the Public Information Office, at (775) 888-7000.
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Construction of the Browns Creek and Galena Creek Bridges has been
the most
noticeable activity so far. This fall, the construction of the steel
form of the arch at
Galena Creek will be most dramatic—providing a glimpse of what
the completed
arch will look like. The complexity of these structures is brought
on by the
geography and geology of the area, the environmental sensitivity
to water quality
treatment, wildlife, and aesthetics of the facility.
Following the success of Kraemer’s visit to the 6th grade,
the I-580 Design Team, in
conjunction with Kraemer, visited both the 5th and 6th grade classes
on May 26 and
June 3, 2005. The students, engineers, and constructors met in the
multi-purpose room
for a brief presentation on the project, including a demonstration
of how the Galena
Creek Bridge pilot truss will be erected (see photo above). Following
the presentation,
each class took a tour of the project in two vans. In addition to seeing
the bridges up
close and getting a first-hand look at the construction activities,
the students also got
a great preview of the future view from the freeway of Pleasant Valley,
including their
homes and school. Following the presentation, the students made a giant
thank you note with a hand-drawn rendering of the Galena Creek Bridge
which is now proudly displayed in the Reno office of the design consultant,
CH2M HILL.
