Moody Lane Connector Moves into Design After Years of Planning

A roadway envisioned for years to connect the area north of Fallon with Coleman Road, Moody Lane, and U.S. Highway 50 has moved into the engineering and environmental review stage.

Churchill County Commissioners unanimously approved a $2.758 million proposal from Lumos & Associates during the County Commission meeting on Aug. 6 for engineering services on the Moody Lane to Coleman Road Connector. As currently proposed, the connector would extend Moody Lane south from Rice Road, cross the Carson River on a new bridge, and connect with Coleman Road, providing access to the signalized intersection at U.S. 50.

“The purpose of this project is to extend Moody Lane south from the intersection of Moody Lane and Rice Road and to tie it into Coleman Road,” Public Works Director Randy Hines told commissioners.

Hines said the connector would allow traffic to travel from Rice Road along Moody Lane to Coleman Road and ultimately reach the signalized intersection at U.S. 50. “It'll actually also potentially reduce traffic at Gummow Drive and 50, which, you know, there's an issue there,” he said.

The connector has been in the works for years. In 2020, then-County Manager Jim Barbee reported that the county had submitted an $8.5 million transportation grant request for a new roadway from Coleman Road to Moody Lane and improvements extending toward Wade Lane. By 2021, county officials described a three-lane connector with a bridge across the Carson River that could also provide a corridor for water and wastewater infrastructure.

Housing development has also been closely tied to the proposed road. The county purchased 31.4 acres north of Coleman Road in 2020, in part to preserve a future transportation corridor and encourage housing development. The property was later sold to Vertex Fund 3 LLC for the proposed 444-unit Riverstone Apartments, with the county retaining roadway and utility access across the property.

Getting from a line on a map to an actual roadway has required the county to work through property and right-of-way issues. River Homes In Fallon LLC previously agreed to revise plans for property between the Carson River and Rice Road to accommodate a realignment of Moody Lane. In October 2025, commissioners approved a settlement that secured right-of-way needed for the connector while resolving potential claims against the county.

Federal funding moved the project into its current phase. Congress awarded $4 million for the project through Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. “Churchill County received a congressional earmark of four million dollars for this project, which will be used for the engineering services for the project,” Hines said. The federal funds must be obligated by Sept. 30.

In June, commissioners approved an agreement with the Nevada Department of Transportation for preliminary engineering, design, and environmental review. The agreement identified a 5% county match, with a maximum potential county cost of $210,526. Construction is not funded under the agreement and will require separate funding after design and National Environmental Policy Act review are completed.

Three firms submitted qualifications for the engineering work. “Lumos & Associates was selected as the most qualified firm for the project,” Hines said.

The work ahead is considerable. Lumos anticipates approximately 18 months for design, including surveying, soil investigations, Carson River floodway modeling, drainage studies, traffic and noise studies, environmental and cultural-resource reviews, and construction plans and bid documents. The work also anticipates evaluating one irrigation canal crossing.

The $2.758 million contract includes $485,000 for final design, $242,000 for environmental clearance, $205,000 for preliminary design, and $180,000 to evaluate bridge alternatives. The fee schedule also lists two optional bridge-design tasks: $112,000 for a span of less than 150 feet or $675,000 for a span between 150 and 250 feet. Which option is needed will depend on the Carson River floodway analysis.

The proposal provides a framework for moving the project through engineering and environmental review, but several elements remain to be determined. Surveys, floodway modeling, geotechnical investigations, environmental studies, agency reviews, and public input could affect the eventual design. Plans will go through successive reviews by the county, NDOT, and other agencies before final plans and bid documents are completed.

The environmental review calls for a 30-day public comment period and one public meeting. Traffic studies will examine how the connector could redistribute traffic along Moody Lane, Rice Road, and Coleman Road through 2050, while a separate study will examine potential traffic noise impacts on nearby properties.

Early public reaction to the project and the larger road plan has been mixed, although several residents commenting online supported improved road connections and called for additional road improvements and widening throughout the county. Others questioned potential effects on property owners, rights-of-way, and how long projects of this scale could take. One resident asked how a future widening of Wade Lane would affect properties on either side of the road.

Construction costs and a timeline for building the Moody Lane to Coleman Road Connector will not be known until the design and environmental work advances.