A locomotive-size step was taken Thursday toward reconstruction of 17 miles of V&T Railway between Gold Hill and Carson City.
Advertisements went out seeking bids from contractors to build the roadbed 1.3 miles across Overman Pit in Gold Hill. If the bids are in line with estimates, work could begin by the end of March, project coordinator Kevin Ray said.
"The Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V & T Railway has reached a major milestone today, and I am very proud of the work we have accomplished," Ray said. "The V&T Railway is one of the most significant projects for the economic development of Northern Nevada and will create over 800 new jobs during the construction phase."
Sealed contracts for the project, estimated to cost between $4 million and $4.3 million, can be submitted to the Nevada Department of Transportation until 2 p.m. Feb. 3, after which they will be opened. The state has 30 days to review the bids before a decision is made. State law requires the board to choose the lowest bid.
"It's an exciting day," said Ray Masayko, chairman of the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway for the past 21Ú2 years. "I'll be more excited when we can start construction and even more excited when its finished.
"I'm excited to see the day arrive. It's progress, and its important for the project to move forward and redeem the faith a lot of us have believed in for some time."
The difference in bid prices, $238,995, to construct the V&T Railway is for an additional 6,600 square feet of stabilized earth wall and an ornamental fence.(Corrected from earlier edition)
The project includes filling the pit with some 400,000 cubic yards of material, compacting the dirt, and laying track. The availability of water from Virginia City to compact the dirt will be a key element.
"Hopefully, we get a chance to use water before it is curtailed in the summer," Masayko said. "It's not an awfully complicated project. Hopefully it will take less than a year to complete - that's my educated guess."
Up next for the project will be the engineering of the next two to five miles of roadbed south of the pit and of the bridge across Highway 50 in Mound House.
About $750,000 has been set aside by the commission to construct the bridge. Masayko said work on design for this part of the railway could begin next month if the bids on the Overman Pit come in within estimates.
The bridge will be "a statement of progress, a statement of faith," Masayko said.
Kelli Du Fresne is city editor for the Nevada Appeal. Contact her at kdufresne@nevadaappeal.com or at 881-1261.
