County issues breach notice on Muller Parkway

While contractually obligated to build four lanes of Muller Parkway north of Monterra, builder Mike Pegram appears to be betting that he can get Douglas County commissioners to settle for two.

Last week, commissioners voted to issue a notice of breach of the development agreement that allowed construction of Monterra.

Driving the action was the county’s intention to begin work on a two-lane section of the parkway that crosses Park Ranch holdings property.

The agreement predates Pegram’s ownership of the property and was designed to get the portion of the road from Highway 395 to the Park property line.

The section that runs north of Monterra would cost $3.7 million to build, according to the county.

Pegram Attorney Sev Carlson said Pegram’s main issue is whether he has to build two or four lanes.

“It doesn’t make sense to require four lanes on Muller at this time,” Carlson said. “I think we’re in a spot where we can work out a compromise that achieves the county’s and Pegram’s short-term goals.”

Carlson said he’s not admitting there is a breach.

In 2018, the owners of the properties along Muller sought a deal with the county where they would build two lanes of the road within six years. That proposal was rejected by a majority of the county commission.

County commissioner Danny Tarkanian urged county staff to work out a deal on the project.

Even if the county negotiates a deal with Pegram and completes the northern end to Buckeye, there are still segments that remain unbuilt.

Envisioned as an alternate route around Minden and Gardnerville more than 30 years ago, progress on completing the road has been slow.

The most recent section between Pinenut Road and Grant Avenue has been done since 2014. A short segment by Stodick Estates south of Toler awaits connection by the developer of a large project north of the Gardnerville Walmart.

There is another segment on the north side of Toler that has yet to be built, but is part of the larger Park project, approved in 2019 that solidified the parkway’s right of way.

Even when it is done, Muller Lane Parkway won’t be a true bypass around the towns, since truck traffic will continue to use Highway 395. There is also a question about what the Nevada Department of Transportation will do with the intersection at Highway 395 and Muller north of Minden.

Once done, the parkway will align with 100-year-old Muller Lane, which was originally built to connect the Valley to old Kingsbury Grade.