Converting just over 10 miles of Highway 395 into a freeway with frontage roads will cost nearly half a billion dollars and take 50 years to pay off.
According to the Southern Sierra Corridor Study, improvements from Highway 50 to Muller Lane in Minden will cost $476 million. If work began next year, it would not be complete until 2019 under a study presented to residents on Thursday.
The state identified $641 million in improvements that include improving Highway 395 between Muller Lane and State Route 88, increasing the size of 88 to four lanes south to Kimmerling and building a bypass around Douglas High School and Ironwood.
About two dozen Carson Valley residents attended the unveiling of the Highway 395 corridor study.
A copy of the study on compact disc was passed out to residents at Thursday's session.
Under consideration is the conversion of the highway to a freeway and construction of frontage roads from Highway 50 south to Muller Lane. In order to avoid serious traffic issues, the work would have to be done by 2030.
Interchanges at Jacks Valley Road, Johnson Lane, Genoa Lane and Muller would get traffic on and off the highway.
Retired Minden dairy farmer Andy Aldax said the proposal to have frontage roads along a limited access highway was important.
"They have to do something to handle all the traffic," he said. "They said they will take care of us with a frontage road."
Aldax was philosophical about when improvements will be done.
"It will affect my kids," he said. "I don't think I'll be around to see them."
Indian Hills resident Chuck Hill said he would prefer an alternative route to Highway 395, something discussed in the corridor study but there are issues with both the plans discussed.
"They need to build a whole new road," he said. "There's nothing business owners like more than to have road construction in front of their businesses for three years."
North Valley resident Jack Bender said he has to use Highway 395 to go to the Home Depot or the doctor.
He said compared to Southern California, the traffic here isn't too bad.
"Down there any time of the day or night, seven days a week it's bad," he said. "There isn't a Saturday or Sunday any more, it's constant."
Nevada Traffic Engineer Coy Peacock said the plan depends on the county's completion of its transportation plan, which includes finishing Muller Parkway.
He said that during the time frame of the study, there wasn't demand for an East Valley bypass that connects to the Carson City freeway near Edmonds Drive.
A two-lane route down the east side of the Valley would cost an estimated $267 million.
"There isn't enough traffic to justify building that bypass without a direct connection between the Gardnerville Ranchos and Highway 395."
Peacock said the study is a snapshot of information available now. He said the state will want to reexamine the information in the next year or two.
