Carson City area road report for the week of Dec. 21-27

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Dec. 21-27, 2015: The Nevada Department of Transportation will continue work on the construction of an auxiliary lane on southbound I-580 from the Eastlake Boulevard interchange to the N. Carson Street off-ramp. There will be nightly lane closures from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. beginning Sunday evening through Wednesday morning.

Utility work will continue Monday through Wednesday as indicated below, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with possible flagger controlled traffic at the following locations:

— Division Street between Fleischmann Way and Long Street. Road will be closed Monday through Wednesday.
— Mountain Street between Fleischmann Way and Long Street.
— Fleischmann Way between Mountain Street and Division Street.
— Long Street between Mountain Street and Division Street.
— Sierra Circle, Hillside Way, Miller Way, Pine View Way, and Lane Circle.

The following closures will occur with signed detours due to the construction of the East/West Water Transmission Project:
— Washington Street will be closed to traffic between Carson and Nevada Streets Tuesday through Thursday.
— Carson Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction between William and Robinson Streets Monday and Tuesday.

Race Track Road will be closed to through traffic between Bigelow Drive and Schulz Drive for the entire week.

Lane closures with two-way traffic maintained are expected at the following locations due to utility work:
— Presti Lane between Medical Parkway and Eagle Valley Ranch Road (Tuesday and Wednesday).
— Shoulder work only on the west side of Conte Drive just north of Bennett Avenue (Tuesday).

On Wednesday, Dec. 23, there will be an oversized load transport with pilot car escorts during the daytime hours along the following route: from Douglas County northbound on Highway 395 along Carson Street, to northbound Stewart Street, to eastbound Fifth Street, to northbound Airport Road, to eastbound Butti Way, to northbound Fairview Drive, to eastbound Highway 50 into Lyon County.

Active winter weather will continue throughout the week with additional snow, rain, and wind, according to the National Weather Service. While none of these systems will be major by Sierra standards, each round will bring periods of delays and chain controls around the Lake Tahoe Basin and over Sierra passes.

Holiday travel is likely to compound the effects due to an increased volume of traffic. If you need to travel, the best day this week looks to be Wednesday. Always be prepared before hitting the road: have a full tank of gas, good traction on your tires, carry chains, extra food/water and have an emergency travel kit.

Winter Driving Safety
On average, more than 2,000 crashes occur statewide every year due to unsafe driving in snow, ice and other wet conditions, such as driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, or failing to maintain a lane and overcorrecting. In winter weather, motorists are reminded to drive slowly for conditions and leave space between their vehicle and others. Wearing a seat belt and focusing on the road are other important driving tips for any type of weather.

Updated state road conditions, from winter road closures to traffic and road incident information, are available by dialing “511” or logging on to nvroads.com before driving. Drivers can also check nevadadot.com to view live traffic cameras. Winter driving safety tips are available at nevadadot.com/winter.

Winter Driving Tips
— Remove snow and ice from all vehicle windows, mirrors and lights prior to driving
— Only travel in winter weather when absolutely necessary, and leave early to provide enough time to safely reach your destination
— Slow down on winter roads- speed limits are based on road and weather conditions
— Keep a safe distance from other vehicles
— Watch carefully for snow removal equipment
— Use extra caution on bridges and ramps, as they may be icy

NDOT has installed automatic anti-icing systems on four bridges on I-580 between Reno and Carson City to help delay and prevent ice formation on bridge surfaces. When potentially freezing conditions set in, pavement sensors on each bridge activate spray disks embedded within the concrete. Each recessed disk sprays a potassium acetate anti-icing solution to help delay formation of ice.

The department will also use tow plows on I-580 between south Reno and north Carson and other areas. The tow plow is a second, steerable snowplow blade towed like a trailer behind a traditional snowplow. The tow plow swings out to the lane next to the lead snowplow to clear a second lane of snow.