Seven months into a roughly $68 million project to replace seven bridges on I-80 west of Reno, the interstate still looks much the way it did last winter. Daytime drivers get two lanes each way, shifted to the outside, at 55 mph. That calm is deliberate. NDOT is building the new bridges from the median outward. Most of the visible disruption is still ahead, and it now looks like spring 2027.
For Somersett, this corridor runs right past the neighborhood. Somersett Parkway runs to Mae Anne Avenue, according to KOLO's coverage of the RTC repaving project. Mae Anne passes under one of the seven bridges being replaced, just west of Robb Drive. The work zone runs west from there through the Mogul interchange, past Lawton and West Fourth Street, to the Garson Road overpass at Boomtown in Verdi. That covers I-80 exits 4 through 7.
Why the Interstate Still Looks Normal
The bridges are about 60 years old. They were built to last about 50. Ryan Hornback, NDOT's project manager and senior bridge engineer, gave Northern Nevada Business Weekly a direct reason for replacing them:
"The rebar was getting corroded, and over time that would make them structurally deficient."
Hornback told NNBW the hardest part is keeping four lanes of traffic open the whole time. This stretch carries heavy freight through the Truckee Meadows every day. His answer was a three-phase construction plan. NDOT puts daily traffic on the corridor at about 47,000 people.
That is why the interstate has barely changed. According to the project's September 2026 construction update, crews are building part of each new bridge in the median at Mae Anne, Fourth Street/Lawton and Mogul. The current work is limited demolition, minor earthwork and new abutments. With traffic pushed to the outside lanes, crews can build in the center of the highway while two lanes stay open each way.
The Delays Are Under the Bridges
If the interstate has felt manageable, the roads beneath it may not have. Since construction started, most of the daily friction has been on the local roads underneath.
Location | When | Current conditions |
|---|---|---|
I-80, Mae Anne Ave. to Boomtown | Weekday daytime | Two lanes each direction, shifted to the outside lanes, 55 mph work zone |
I-80, Mae Anne Ave. to Boomtown | Weekdays, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. | Reduced to one lane in each direction |
Mae Anne Ave., W. Fourth St. and Mogul Rd. beneath I-80 | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Single lane, flaggers alternating directions, minor delays |
Garson Road overpass at Boomtown | Ongoing | Piers and columns going in; business access open with minor detours |
The Mae Anne row matters most here. The single lane under I-80 runs on flaggers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., which covers the morning school run, the commute and most errands. The interstate itself is tightest after 8 p.m., when it drops to one lane each way until morning.
NDOT also expects short side-street closures and brief interstate detours as sections of the old bridges come out. It has said it will give advance notice and keep daytime interstate lanes open. NDOT's news releases through October 22 had no new bridge-specific closure notice. A separate summer advisory about longer I-80 lane-reduction hours in west Reno came from the McCarran-to-Keystone paving project. That project is different from the bridge job.
The Big Shift Moved From Fall to Spring
In May, NNBW reported that westbound drivers would be sharing the eastbound side "this fall." The September update gives a later date. Once the median sections are finished, traffic will cross over to the westbound side so crews can tear down and rebuild the eastbound bridges. Two lanes will stay open in each direction. NDOT now expects that phase in spring 2027.
For anyone driving between Robb Drive and Verdi, the change will be easy to spot. Today, traffic runs on its own side of the highway, nudged to the shoulder. After the crossover, eastbound and westbound traffic will share one side of I-80 at the Mae Anne, Lawton and Mogul bridges while the old eastbound bridges come down beside them. Every NDOT schedule for the project says the work depends on weather and may change, so "spring" is the most precise date available.
The two NDOT schedules end at different points. NDOT's April 2 announcement said the traffic shifts and overnight lane reductions would run through spring 2028. The project website lists construction from April 2026 to December 2028. For planning, late 2028 is the safer end date.
What Gets Built Back
Once all of this is done, the bridges will carry the same number of lanes as today. The $68 million comes from federal funding set aside for bridge replacement. NDOT says that money cannot be used for major widening of state or local roads. Here is what the new bridges will add.
- Wider shoulders. NDOT says they will give drivers more room to maneuver, including during crashes and emergency response. Hornback told NNBW the shoulders will also make room for future lane expansions on I-80.
- Seismic protection. The new structures are being built with extensive earthquake protections.
- Truckee River artwork. The bridges will be painted with water, fish, dragonflies, fly fishermen and other river scenes, with decorative rock on the slopes to help control erosion.
- A path across Garson Road. The new Garson Road overpass at Boomtown will have a barrier-separated shared-use path that could link to future local pathway projects.
The Garson path is tied to growth in Verdi. NNBW reports it was designed to serve the Quilici housing development in the hills south of the highway. News 4 reported in May that crews were grading the Santerra-Quilici site south of I-80 near Garson Road. The plans call for 1,225 homes and apartments, plus parks, trails and a school site. The developer had not said when the first homes might be ready. Taken together, the new Garson bridge and the Quilici construction south of it are reshaping the western end of the corridor.
NDOT also plans to replace the longer I-80 bridges over the Truckee River near Verdi in a separate project later on. That work has its own future schedule.
From Now Through 2028, Phase by Phase
- Now through winter 2026–27. Median construction continues at Mae Anne, Lawton and Mogul. The interstate stays shifted to the outside lanes at 55 mph. Mae Anne, West Fourth and Mogul under I-80 stay flagged to one lane from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Garson piers and columns keep going up.
- Spring 2027, expected. Traffic crosses over to the westbound side, and the eastbound bridges are fully demolished and rebuilt. Two lanes stay open each way.
- At Garson Road, after the new structure is built. The existing overpass comes down, and business access stays open with minor detours.
- Through 2028. NDOT's April announcement had weekday overnight lane reductions and 55 mph work zones running through spring 2028. The project website lists December 2028 as the end of construction.
The construction page on the project site has been the most current source for phase changes. The NDOT announcement still has the full project overview.
At Reno's Realty Group, we follow corridor projects like this one because they shape everyday life in Somersett. If a spring 2027 move or listing could overlap with the I-80 crossover, Jodi Kruse can help you plan showings, inspections and moving day around the work zone. Schedule Your Free Concierge Consultation.
