Carson City Public Works says it will put up traffic counters in the neighborhood of Nye and Bowers Lane, a residential area that has seen an increase flow in traffic over several years and the source of safety concerns among residents along the street.
Led by Bowers Lane resident Scott McDaniel, a retired Carson City Sheriff’s Office sergeant familiar with traffic safety, along with other homeowners on Bowers, concerns of increased motorist use and heavy truck traffic have grown over the years. There are also plans for a warehouse and distribution center on Arrowhead Drive, between Bowers and Technology Way that further causes traffic safety and congestion concerns.
McDaniel and neighbors also note that traffic on Arrowhead Drive has worsened since the State of Nevada took over the former Harley Davidson Financial building at 3850 Arrowhead Drive in 2023.
Some neighbors fear traffic in the area will continue to worsen unless something is done about it as more development is slated for the area, compounded with large trucks attempting to take shortcuts, which lead them to residential neighborhoods such as Bowers Lane.
Carson City Public Works Director Darren Schulz was contacted by Carson Now regarding traffic complaints from residents on Bowers.
In an email, addressing McDaniel’s concerns, Schulz wrote the city had previously studied the concerns regarding the traffic on this roadway for several years.
“Although the traffic count could be considered too high for someone who lives on the street, it was well within industry standard for this type of roadway,” he wrote.
“As things got busier out there, we knew we would have to continue to monitor and look for solutions. It’s not that we ignored it, the actual traffic counts previously did not justify any substantial changes be made,” said Schulz noting that “solutions are scarce and not easy, and most will negatively impact other roads/neighborhoods, so they must be well studied and vetted. It may seem simple as to how to fix an issue, but often it transfers the problem somewhere else when it comes to traffic.”
Schulz said Public Works will revisit the street traffic concerns and put traffic counters back out there since the city’s data is from a couple years ago, and as Mr. McDaniel has noted, development around there has changed.
The following below is the letter sent to Schulz from McDaniel, addressing the concerns. The photos are also from McDaniel.
Mr. Shultz,
My neighbors and I have been very patient in waiting for some solution to the problems with traffic on Nye and Bowers Lanes. A personal meeting with the mayor last summer resulted in no assistance whatsoever. Since the State of Nevada took over the old Harley Davidson financial building on Arrowhead Drive, traffic that was already increasing on Bowers Lane (which is being used as a shortcut from Nye Lane and Highway 50 east) has increased substantially.
Not only are passenger vehicles utilizing this roadway, so are 18 wheelers and large delivery vehicles. (UTVs, ATVs, Dirt Bikes and Motorcycles are also an issue). The roadway is currently rated as being in fair condition with large cracks in the asphalt at this time which will more than likely continue to decay as traffic increases.
There are no sidewalks or curbs along Bowers Lane which puts pedestrians and children at risk as they walk along the roadway, get off the school bus to go home or to walk to Centennial Park for sports and recreation. Due to the traffic, I and others back into our driveways so that it is safer to pull out.
Nye and Bowers Lanes are residential neighborhoods not throughfares. The last traffic count done that I am aware of showed approximately 1300 or more vehicles utilizing Bowers Lane a day which I am more than sure has increased since the State moved in.
Soon, four shipping and receiving warehouses are scheduled to be built on vacant land between and less than 300 feet from Bowers Lane on Arrowhead Drive. The plans that I have seen show at least 240 employees for the initial warehouse.
In addition, I am informed that Pop Warner will be moved in the near future from Governors Field to Centennial Park. Both of these projects cannot help but, increase traffic on Nye and Bowers Lanes as individuals travel to work and recreation.
At one time, both Bowers Lane and Sunrise Drive were closed due to traffic issues. As much as we would love to see this again, we know this will never happen so, a solution must be found.
I have pondered over this for some time. Undulations are a possibility but, that will not reduce the traffic. It might help with the speed that some people drive on the street but, you would need several to make any kind of impact. Most ignore the stop signs at Bowers Lane and August Drive anyway so, I do not think undulations are a problem solver.
Turning Bowers Lane and Sunrise Drive into one way traffic for North and South utilizing August Drive as a crossover, would give an equal share of traffic to Bowers Lane and Sunrise Drive but would put the majority of the split traffic onto August Drive.
I may have a solution that could work. On Arrowhead at Bowers the roadway is wider to accommodate a turn lane. This width extends on both sides of Bowers Lane. If Bowers Lane were made into a right hand turn only onto Arrowhead Drive, I believe this would reduce the traffic on both Nye and Bowers Lanes. While still allowing vehicles access to Centennial Park and the golf course.
Access back from Centennial Park would be Centennial Park Road to Highway 50 or Arrowhead to the light at Highway 50.
I would like to go into more details with you and discuss the possibility of this being a solution or working with your staff on a solution. I am including photos of the issue and possible solution. A new traffic count may be helpful also.
Schulz acknowledges, as Mr. McDaniel points out, development in the area has changed. In the meantime, he said the city will put traffic counters back out there to track the increases.
“Once we have actual traffic counts it will help us to again consider solutions,” Schulz said.
