Boone County staff told the county commissioners that the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is starting construction soon on an interchange project that will require extensive signing and a temporary full closure of a nearby road, and that a future transfer of responsibility for a section of Highway 52 will require local coordination.

The update came during a county meeting when a staff member said NDOT will install “At approximately 35100 signs around the county. So that's a significant amount of work that will be taking place,” and that a nearby bridge project — identified in the briefing as Bridge 84 on “400 East North of 100 North” — will require full closure of the roadway for about 90 days once work begins.

Why it matters: the interchange and bridge work will change local traffic patterns and require coordination among NDOT, Boone County and the City of Lebanon. County staff also told commissioners that a proposed state House bill could require counties to adopt a wheel tax to remain eligible for Community Crossings matching grants, a change that could affect the county’s ability to fund road preservation and small-structure replacement projects.

County staff described the relinquishment process expected after the interchange is finished. “I would like to have one of you attend a meeting with NDOT in the City of Lebanon to discuss relinquishment of the existing 52 after the interchange is built,” the staff member said, adding that the interchange award was expected and that the new interchange is unlikely to be completed before 2027. The staff member said portions of the roadway would be split between the City of Lebanon’s jurisdiction and the county, and that “the bridge would go to the County.”

Commissioner (speaker 2) volunteered to attend the NDOT meeting with staff. The staff member said the meeting would likely occur in early February and that staff would circulate dates to interested commissioners.

On funding, the staff member warned commissioners that proposed legislation — described as a House bill not yet submitted — “would require the county to have a wheel tax in order to be able to continue to get Community Crossings matching grant fund.” The staff member said many counties do not have a wheel tax and that the county could lose eligibility for roughly “a million and a half dollars of funding” the office has relied on for road preservation and bridge projects if the state program’s eligibility were changed. The official added that local effort or other funding sources might be proposed as alternatives, but emphasized the need to notify state legislators if the bill advances.

Discussion: commissioners and staff discussed logistics for the NDOT meeting and expressed interest in coordinating with the City of Lebanon on the relinquishment; no formal commission action was taken on the funding or relinquishment topics during the meeting. The staff member said NDOT has reached out to both the City of Lebanon and the county and that other relinquishments around the county may be discussed in the future.

The briefing also served as notice to the commission to contact state legislators if they want to object to a wheel-tax requirement for Community Crossings grants.

No formal vote was taken on the projects or on the funding issue during this meeting; staff were directed to arrange the NDOT meeting and inform commissioners of proposed dates.