Paul NelsonChannel 2 News
It's been one month and a day since the Caughlin Fire burned down more than 30 homes and charred almost 2,000 acres.
Crews continue rehab work in Manzanita Canyon, Evans Creek Drainage, and on Windy hill -- where part of Lakeside Drive will be closed in the days ahead.
Officials tell us their main focus is erosion control and that means beating the weather. Luckily, for them, it's been a dry month. And they want to get as much work done as they can before it rains or snows -- adding more potential for rock slides.
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NDOT donated 140 of these concrete barriers for this project along the west side of Lakeside Drive in Reno.
For about a third of a mile, a couple feet of dirt will be cut out of the hillside, making room for the rails. "This specific area, we're concerned about the steep slopes and the slope's stability," says Washoe County Planning Manager Linda Nelson.
Washoe County Road Supervisor Terry Davis adds, "if we were to get a rain, right now, we would end up with a lot of rock, in the roadway. Of course, then you've got the issues of vehicles running into it, etc."
The area lost most of its vegetation in the Caughlin Fire, so there's nothing to prevent erosion, putting drivers and pedestrians in danger.
The hope of the project is that any rock or debris that rolls down the hill, will stop once it hits the barrier. "These being 30-inches high...32-inches high, we shouldn't have any issues with any rocks jumping over the F-rail."
Windy Hill is just one place getting emergency work and Washoe County plans to have it and others finished in a couple of weeks. "We've come together with very good plans, in a very short period of time. We also have a finance team that we're working with for grant funding. So, yeah, a lot's happened. It's been a month from the fire but we've really made great strides," says Nelson.
Part of putting that plan together, so quickly, meant asking different agencies and departments to do things that they normally wouldn't have to do. "It's a special project for us. It's out of the ordinary for us. We typically do just road maintenance. But, at this point in time, we've been asked by parks and other entities to get involved with this and make this happen," says Davis.
The rails are expected to stay in place for about six months.
In that time, other long-term rehabilitation projects will take place, like seeding and mulching.
And with this being December, timing is critical. "Since most of our moisture is in the winter time, we miss our window for seeding. We would have to wait until next spring," says Nelson.
Windy Hill access is expected to remain closed between 8am-3pm each day while crews finish this project.
The work is scheduled through Friday, but crews think they will actually be done by Wednesday
