Walmart traffic issues

EDITOR:

The building of a new Walmart in south Gardnerville does not enthuse me but it would save a 30-mile trip about once a month.

What needs to be addressed is the state and county authorities allowing these large traffic generators to build, but not force them to provide the highway improvements necessary for free flowing and safe traffic, leaving the taxpayers to buy the improvements later.

The speed limit on Highway 395 is 55 mph or about 85 feet per second. The present plan for the new Grant Drive shows good acceleration, deceleration and storage lanes. There is no provision for southbound customers from Les Schwab, new east side business and Service Drive to go south. Highway 395 needs to be widened from before Grant Drive to Charlotte Way so a left, U-turn north to west phase with storage can be installed in the traffic signal phasing. Service Drive customers will make U-turns around the north end of the center island, an unsafe move.

I do not see any advance warning signals on the present plan. Is any coordination planned with the signal at Riverview?

The intersection at Charlotte Way and Highway 395 will present many problems that are not acknowledged on the present plan.

Grant Drive after it leaves Highway 395 and narrows to single lanes needs to be widened so that it can handle the expected customer traffic and delivery vehicles, and not back up on the highway.

Charles S. Hill

Gardnerville