This is the latest on the improvements planned for Homestead Road and Highway 160 in Pahrump.

The intersection of Highway 160 and Homestead Road has always been one of the busiest in town and with the addition of a third gas station and convenience store, Kingdom Station, traffic in the area has only increased. But a project is in the works to hopefully ease the congestion.

In May, Nye County put out a request for bids from contractors to complete the Homestead Road and SR 160 Roadway Improvement Project, creating a double left-hand turn lane off of Homestead onto the highway. However, the June bid opening proved that no companies had submitted a bid.

During the Nye County Commission’s June 29 meeting, Nye County Public Works Engineering Tech Cody McKee said this left the county with two options. Under Nevada Revised Statute, the county is permitted to skip a second competitive bidding process if there are no bids forthcoming in the first round, which means the county could “let” the contract, allowing public works to find a contractor directly. Alternatively, the public works department could revise the scope of the project and go back out to bid but public works director Tom Bolling said he was keen to get the project moving as quickly as possible.

“In this package, is the retiming for all the signal lights in Pahrump. That’s why we’re really pushing to get this going, so we can get those signal lights retimed… It also puts new grounding rods in the ground, so they can identify cars when they are sitting there,” Bolling explained.

He noted that the public works department had met with both Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill and Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Lewis and taken their comments into consideration for both the improvements and the new signal timing.

A round of public comment followed, with some questioning how the project would work given the limited space available and expressing concerns that a double left-hand turn lane would have unintended consequences. Both Stephen Pitman and Dwight Lilly asserted in that area drivers have difficulty staying in the correct lane as it is and Linda Clark remarked that it was a nightmare intersection, particularly for emergency vehicles.

Bolling responded to these concerns by explaining that no additional space would be needed – the intersection will only be reconfigured.

“We don’t need any more real estate. We are using the existing lanes that are there, because there is hardly any right-hand turning vehicles coming off Homestead, and there is hardly any going straight through the intersection – versus what turns left onto Homestead,” Bolling said.

“There’s also comments about being able to get through the intersection but the emergency vehicles cannot. And the reason that the emergency vehicles cannot get through that intersection is because the queue of vehicles is all the way back to Acoma Street. That’s what we’re trying to lessen here, the amount of vehicles that are stacked and queued trying to get through that intersection. I mean, I’ve gone through two lights just trying to turn left there, coming off of Homestead,” Bolling stressed. “This is actually going to help the traffic situation in this intersection. This is designed by engineers, with the help of public works. They did traffic studies, they did car counts, they did left-turning movements, they did everything they needed to do to make sure this would help the intersection.”

As to vehicles maintaining their lane through the two left-hand turn lanes, Bolling said raised dot markers will be installed to guide drivers. He added that if no action was taken, the intersection would simply remain as it is today.

“I think we understand what you’re trying to accomplish, for the relief of the traffic, etcetera,” commissioner Bruce Jabbour remarked, before asking whether the road’s budget would bear the “not to exceed” cost of $275,000 and if Bolling was confident the project would not result in a higher price tag via change orders. Bolling confirmed that yes, he felt certain the amount would be sufficient.

Jabbour made the motion to fund the Homestead Road project up to $275,000 with no change orders, to be paid for by the road fund, and to let the contract. Boskovich offered a second and the motion passed 3-0, with commissioners Debra Strickland and Ian Bayne both absent.

“You’ve got it. Go fix it,” commissioner John Koenig said as the item closed.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com