Which roads were most affected by the recent thunderstorms in Pahrump?

While some parts of the Pahrump Valley escaped the brunt of the monsoonal storm that swept through the area last weekend, others were not so lucky.

In the waning evening hours of Friday, Sept. 5, thunderclouds began to build over the valley, drawing together atmospheric moisture and heat to create thunderstorms and a spectacular lightning show that lasted into the early hours of Saturday, Sept. 6. A flash-flooding alert was issued on cell phones and it proved to be an apt warning as parts of town were deluged in rain. Particularly hard-hit was the northern end of town, where Highway 160 was washed out, along with many other smaller roadways, but the southside suffered its share of the damage, too.

“Early Saturday morning around 1 a.m., Nye County Public Works was called out by the sheriff’s office to assist in reopening Highway 160 between Leslie Street and Roadrunner Road. Thanks to the crew’s swift action, the highway was reopened by approximately 3 a.m.,” Nye County Public Communications Manager Arnold Knightly explained in a county press release on Monday.

“Road crews continued working throughout Saturday until around 6 p.m. with staff rotating in and out as needed. Much of the work focused on temporarily repairing washouts to restore access to homes, with certain areas requiring us to wait for water levels to recede before work could begin,” Knightly stated. “Throughout the remainder of the weekend, crews worked to clear debris and improve driveway access.”

Knightly noted that the measures being taken by public works at the moment are temporary and the county is working to assess longer-term solutions.

“This week, crews are continuing repairs on driveways and gravel roads and full cleanup and restoration from the flood damage is expected to take approximately four to six weeks,” Knightly said.

There were dozens of streets affected by the flooding, with the release providing an outline of those most impacted. These included Ohio Road and Roadrunner Road, which were rendered completely impassable. These have now been repaired to one-lane access. Other roads in this area the saw flood damage were N. Linda Street, Mazzuka Avenue, W. Pascoe Avenue, N. Nellie Street and N. Blagg Road.

Fort Churchill Road was initially passable by truck and has since had washouts filled in by both public works crews and residents, making it passable with some leftover debris. Glencove Avenue saw gravel and boulder removal on Saturday, with silt and debris removal ongoing. Additional roads impacted in this area included N. Pyramid Street, N. Becky, Newby, N. San Blas and W. Fangio lanes.

Linda Street from Leslie to Harris Farm Road was covered in several feet of silt and debris, Knightly reported, and was reopened Saturday morning. Leslie Street was also heavily impacted but washouts have been filled and the road is passable. W. Finehill, W. Kilty, Imperial Place, W. Megan Avenue W. Ricksue Drive, W. Annie Avenue, N. Cosmic Place, N. Timberland Drive, Harris Farm Road, Avellenda Street, W. Bluebird Avenue, W. Sloan Street and W. Palm Drive were among the streets most impacted in and around Linda and Leslie.

Barney Street and Quail Run Road currently has standing water that is slowly receding but the overall damage has been determined to be minimal. Floodwaters also knocked over a stop sign at Bell Vista Avenue and Leslie, while winds toppled a tree onto the roadway at Black Street east of David.

On the opposite side of town, Hafen Ranch Road south of Hafen Elementary School was hit with approximately two feet of silt and gravel but was cleared and driveable as of 10 a.m. Saturday morning. Flooding impacted S. Fox Avenue, E. Turner Blvd. and E. Kellogg Road, which are still affected and will be addressed once primary access is restored, according the officials.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we work to restore safe access throughout the affected areas,” Knightly concluded.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com