Interstate 580 (Nevada)

Interstate 580
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length:	30.090 mi[1] (48.425 km)
Existed:	October 27, 1978 – present
History:	Number approved on October 27, 1978; constructed in phases 1964–2012; signed in 2012
Major junctions
South end:	US 50 / US 395 / US 395 Bus. in Carson City
	SR 431 in Reno US 395 Bus. in Reno
North end:	I‑80 / US 395 in Reno
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Highways in Nevada Interstate U.S. State pre-1976 Scenic ← SR 579 SR 582 →

Interstate 580 (I-580) is an Interstate Highway in northwestern Nevada. It runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 395 (US 395) from I-80 in Reno, to US 50 near the southern boundary of Carson City. Although the freeway has existed in Reno with the I-580 designation since the 1970s, the Interstate was signed only as US 395 until the portion between Reno and Carson City was completed in 2012. While the entire length of the freeway was opened to traffic by August 2017, I-580 is not complete. Plans call for a grade separation at the interchange at the southern terminus, but this interchange has been postponed with no scheduled completion date.

Route description

I-580 & US 395 route shields near Carson City

I-580 is still under development. The freeway exists today from I-80 near downtown Reno south to U.S. Route 50 in Carson City. The only portion remaining to be constructed is the interchange at the freeway's southern terminus.

The freeway begins at the junction of U.S. Route 395 with the Lake Tahoe leg of U.S. Route 50 and follows the eastern edge of Eagle Valley, where most of the population of Carson City lives. The highway loosely follows the former alignments of Edmonds Drive and Lompa Lane along the eastern half of the city, which were relocated or truncated to make room for the freeway.

After rejoining the original alignment of US 395 near the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, the highway crests Lakeview Hill to enter the Washoe Valley. The portion of I-580/US 395 and US 395 Alternate through Washoe Valley are prone to high crosswinds and, as such, the highways are frequently closed to high-profile vehicles. During prohibited times, trucks are re-routed to Eastlake Boulevard and U.S. Route 395 Alternate, which is the old routing of US 395. The high wind area ends near the Bowers Mansion interchange near the northern end of the Washoe Valley.

Unlike the old US 395 which ran along the valley floor of Pleasant Valley, I-580 is routed in the mountains overlooking the valley. While traversing Pleasant Valley, the highway crosses the Galena Creek Bridge, the largest cathedral arch bridge in the world. Upon the descent from these mountains the highway cuts through the center of one of the largest geothermal power plants in the United States, Ormat Industries' Nevada Power station, just before entering Reno.

View north at the north end of I-580

At the extreme southern edge of Reno, the highway has a junction with the Mount Rose Highway (SR 431) and Geiger Grade (SR 341), which connect the freeway with North Lake Tahoe and Virginia City, respectively. Upon entering Reno, the freeway proceeds in a generally northern direction, crossing Virginia Street, the old routing of US 395, several times. Along the way the freeway passes to the side of the The Summit Sierra Mall, Meadowood Mall and Reno–Tahoe International Airport. The I-580 designation ends at the Reno Spaghetti Bowl where the highway crosses I-80; however, the freeway continues on only as US 395, heading towards the north valley neighborhoods of Sun Valley, Lemon Valley and Stead before eventually crossing the California state line.

Named sections

The freeway has two memorial designations, within the Reno city limits the freeway is designated the Martin Luther King Jr. freeway. Within the Carson City limits the freeway is designated the Carson City Deputy Sheriff Carl Howell Memorial Freeway in honor of a sheriff's officer who was fatally shot while attempting to extricate a victim of domestic violence from their house.^[2][3]

History

Old US 395 running through Pleasant Valley, as seen from Geiger Grade (SR 341), with the I-580 extension under construction in the mountains above

Development of the I-580/US 395 freeway has been in planning since 1956, but significant construction did not occur until over a decade later. Below is a timeline of the opening dates of the current freeway segments that are or will be part of I-580.^[4]

• 1964–1970: Winters Ranch area (junction Carson–Reno Highway / US 395 and Old Highway 395 / SR 429) south to Washoe Valley—Washoe County—Carson City line
• 1973: Reno—Panther Valley (Exit 72) south to East 2nd Street / Glendale Avenue (Exit 67)
• 1978: Reno—East Second Street / Glendale Avenue (Exit 67) south to Mill Street (Exit 66)
• 1979: Reno—Mill Street (Exit 66) south to Plumb Lane / Villanova Drive (Exit 65)
• 1981: Reno—Plumb Lane / Villanova Drive (Exit 65) south to South Virginia Street (at the Exit 63 half-interchange)
• 1986: Reno—South Virginia Street (Exit 63) to Del Monte Lane, now Neil Road (Exit 62)
• 1989: Reno—Del Monte Lane, now Neil Road (Exit 62) south to South Virginia Street (at Exit 61)
• 1996: Reno—South Virginia Street (Exit 61) south to SR 431 / Mount Rose Highway (Exit 56)
• 2006: Carson City—Washoe County—Carson City line: North Carson Street (Exit 43) south to US 50 east / East William Street (Exit 39)
• 2009: Carson City—US 50 east / East William Street (Exit 39) south to Fairview Drive (Exit 38)
• 2012: Steamboat Hills—Winters Ranch area: SR 431 / Mount Rose Highway (Exit 56) south to US 395 Alt. / Bowers Mansion Road (Exit 50)
• 2017: Carson City—Fairview Drive (Exit 38) south to South Carson Street (Exit 35)

The I-580 designation was first approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on October 27, 1978; at the time, this route extended from I-80 to US 395 (South Virginia Street, at the current exit 63).^[5] AASHTO approved the remainder of planned I-580, to the future southern terminus at US 395 south of Carson City, at its December 7, 1984, meeting.^[6] Despite the route number being approved and being shown on some maps in the 1980s, I-580 was not signed along the Interstate until the freeway gap between Mount Rose Highway and Bowers Mansion Road was completed in 2012.

The segment completed in 2012 connected Carson City to the Interstate Highway system, leaving four state capitals not served by the Interstate Highway System: Dover, Delaware, Juneau, Alaska, Pierre, South Dakota and Jefferson City, Missouri.

On August 2, 2017, the final segment of the freeway connecting Fairview Drive and US 50/395 opened to traffic.^[7]

Exit list

For other exits on US 395, see U.S. Route 395 in Nevada.

County	Location	mi	km	Exit[lower-alpha 1]	Destinations	Notes
City of Carson City 0.00–4.35				35	US 50 west / US 395 south / US 395 Bus. north (S. Carson Street) – South Lake Tahoe, Minden, Gardnerville	Southern end of US 50/US 395 concurrency; southern terminus of I-580; at-grade intersection
				38	Fairview Drive
				39	US 50 east (E. William Street) – Dayton, Fallon	Northern end of US 50 concurrency
				41	College Parkway	Serves Carson Airport and Western Nevada College
				42	Arrowhead Drive	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; serves Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center
				43	US 395 Bus. south (N. Carson Street)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; serves Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center
Washoe 0.00–25.73	Washoe Valley			44	Eastlake Boulevard (to US 395 Alt.)	Serves Washoe Lake State Park
				46	Bellevue Road
	Washoe City			50	Old US 395 (US 395 Alt., Bowers Mansion Road, Carson–Reno Highway) – Washoe City	Serves Bowers Mansion
	Pleasant Valley			Galena Creek Bridge
	Reno			56	SR 431 (Mount Rose Highway) – North Lake Tahoe	Also serves SR 341 (Geiger Grade) to Virginia City
				57B	S. Virginia Street south (US 395 Alt. south) – Virginia City, Washoe City	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				57A	S. Virginia Street north (US 395 Alt. north / US 395 Bus. north)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				59	Damonte Ranch Parkway
				60	South Meadows Parkway (SR 426 west)
				61	S. Virginia Street (US 395 Alt. / US 395 Bus.)
				62	Neil Road, Meadowood Mall Way
				63	S. Virginia Street (US 395 Bus.), Kietzke Lane	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				64	Moana Lane	Serves Reno-Sparks Convention Center
				65	Plumb Lane (SR 653), Villanova Drive, Reno-Tahoe International Airport	Signed as exits 65A (Villanova Drive, Plumb Lane) and 65B (airport) southbound
				66	Mill Street	Serves Renown Regional Medical Center
				67	E. Second Street, Glendale Avenue (SR 648)
				68	I‑80 – Sparks, Elko, Reno, Sacramento US 395 north – Susanville	Northern end of US 395 concurrency; northern terminus of I-580; signed as exits 68A (east) and 68B (west) northbound; I-80 exit 15; freeway continues as US 395
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

• Nevada portal
• U.S. Roads portal

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 580 (Nevada).

• Carson City Freeway