NDOT to open State Route 208 through Wilson Canyon during commute hours only
Beginning Monday, Feb. 13 Nevada Department of Transportation will open commute-hour, one-lane traffic on State Route 208 through the Wilson Canyon in Lyon County as repairs continue following a major landslide.
The currently-closed section of roadway will open to traffic daily from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Drivers should anticipate up to 20-minute travel delays as pilot cars alternate directions of traffic. Reduced speeds will be in place entering the work zone. The roadway may be closed for driver and worker safety during severe weather. Outside of these hours, the roadway will remain closed between Hudson Aurora Road and State Route 339.
In coming weeks, NDOT will work to open the section of highway to travel during additional daytime hours.
Drivers are asked to avoid unnecessary travel in the area. Alternate routes are sparse in the rural area. Highway detour routes include U.S. 395, U.S. 50 and U.S. 95A between the Yerington and Douglas County areas.
On Jan. 10, a landslide and rockfall fell across roughly 400 feet of State Route 208 through the Wilson Canyon, between Smith Valley and Yerington. The following morning, NDOT geotechnical engineers conducted an initial evaluation of the area, finding that the rockface remained unstable.
NDOT then partnered with Q&D Construction for emergency repairs. Over recent weeks, rockfall removal experts have scaled roadside slopes to remove remaining unstable rock and make the area safe for road repair work below. Crews have also worked to remove 225 loads of landslide material which fell across the road, equaling nearly 3,000 cubic yards. Crews will continue to remove and make roadway repairs over coming weeks.
Motorists can visit NVRoads.com before driving for current highway conditions and controls.