Granite to build roundabout

A $923,000 contract was awarded to Granite Construction to build the roundabout at County Road and Highway 88 in Minden. The bid includes $100,000 to modify the curb radius in the southbound lane at Highway 395 and 88, according to Scott Magruder, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

"The intersection needs the work and it will be easier to complete both projects at the same time," he said.

Escalating costs for materials also contributed to the higher-than-estimated price, Susan Martinovich, deputy director of the department told Douglas County commissioners Wednesday.

"The original estimate is a couple of years old and prices for materials are escalating every week," she said.

Construction will start Monday and should take about 45 working days. Officials expect the project to be completed in August before school starts.

Any traffic delays during this period should be minimal, Magruder said.

In addition to the roundabout project, bidding opened for a traffic signal at Stephanie Way this week.

Construction on the signal, which will allow the free flow of traffic in southbound lanes, is expected to start late in the year and should be completed early in 2007, Magruder said.

"The contract will probably be awarded in August," he said. "The winner of that bid will then order the steel, but it takes about three months to get the parts manufactured and shipped."

Through an agreement with the Department of Transportation, Douglas County will provide $300,000 for the project, according to County Manager Dan Holler.

The project will cost an estimated $420,000, Magruder said.

The death of 17-year-old Bridget Noel Chambers at the intersection on July 15 sparked a grass-roots movement, and ultimately the traffic study conducted by the state to justify placement of the light at Stephanie Way.

The accident involved a failure to yield, the major cause of accidents at that location, according to statistics from Nevada's Department of Transportation.

The intersection qualifies for a signal based on a number of issues including traffic volume, vehicle movement, congestion and safety impacts, according to the studies.

n Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.