Now that the I-580 project is complete, you can drive from Carson City to Susanville without hitting a single stoplight. But there seems to be some confusion about what we're supposed to call the new freeway.
You might not know it but when it comes to funding, a name means quite a bit. Now that Highway 395 is called Interstate 580, there will be more federal money for maintenance.
"The feds want to really keep them in good condition because that carries the majority of trucks," NDOT spokesman Scott Magruder explained. "It's good for the economy, it carries all the goods and services, so it gets a different kind of funding category."
When you think of an interstate, you probably think of a freeway that stretches across the country.
I-580 only stretches about 30 miles from I-80 to Fairview Drive in Carson City, but it is still part of the interstate system, called a spur.
"I know it's somewhat, a little bit confusing but for highway officials it makes perfect sense because now we have an interstate that goes through our capitol," Magruder said.
You may have noticed that there is already an Interstate-580 in the Bay area.
"You can have two spurs with the same name, coming off I-80 all the way across the country," Magruder said. "You've seen, even back East with the same similar names, 280, 380, 480. We just happen to have a 580 and so does California."
Interstates are divided, limited access freeways with high speeds. Something much different than the highway systems. "395 you're going to have stops through towns and what not but the interstate is a straight shot," Magruder said.
That is something officials say also makes this stretch better for drivers. "It definitely is going to save a lot of lives and we've got a divided limited access highspeed freeway," Magruder told us Wednesday. "It's not just about saving time, it's about convenience and just driving on a safe road."
Blue I-580 signs are taking the place of what used to be white U.S. 395 signs. Now it's up to everyone to call it by the right name.
"I think people as they get time, this will be the interstate and then 395 will be 'Oh, use the old 395,'" Magruder said. "That's what we're hoping people will get used to."
NDOT is still planning to extend I-580 south by a couple of miles ending at US Highway 50. That is still several years away though because there is just no funding for it yet.
Written by Paul Nelson
