Stephanie signal work starts soon

Work on a traffic light at Highway 395 and Stephanie Way should begin by the end of the month.

Contractor PAR Electric has 35 working days to install the light, which would put completion at the end of January or the beginning of February, depending on weather.

Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Magruder said the contract was awarded in July to PAR, who will receive notice to proceed on Nov. 27.

The contract was for $272,000, with the intersection work being paid by the state and Douglas County paying for the light.

"The light will be very similar to the one at Johnson Lane," Magruder said. "Southbound cars don't have to stop, but northbound will have to stop."

Magruder said the state will alert motorists when they are ready to turn on the signal light.

The death of 17-year-old Bridget Noel Chambers at the intersection on July 15, 2005, sparked a grass-roots movement for a stoplight, and ultimately the traffic study conducted by the state.

More than 6,000 signatures were eventually gathered in favor of a light.

About $140,000 of the funding for the light came from developer fees generated from construction projects and the balance from capital reserves, set aside for specific projects like land or major equipment purchases.

The state will provide engineering, project management and design, to be approved by the county.