NDOT and Union Pacific iron out their differences

Last week the Nevada Department of Transportation announced plans to open new travel lanes on the I-15 Freeway between Sahara and the 215 Beltway.

News 3's Chopper Tom Hawleyreports that although a couple of the lanes are good, there's still a cone zone near Spring Mountain Road over the top of the railroad tracks that should be gone by now.

NDOT has revised its schedule a few times and could end up revising it again; past completion dates have already changed several times after NDOT had to rework its engineering plans.

"It hasn't gone per schedule, but everybody's on board working to get it finished," says Mary Martini, engineer with Nevada Department of Transportation.

On top of the I-15, you can't tell anything is wrong. The problem is down by the tracks. And it's two fold: First, NDOT found water at a level they weren't expecting. And since this is Union Pacific right-of-way, everything becomes a negotiation.

Meaning, revisions to plans take a lot longer.

"They have their processes. And so we have to submit our shoring plans and other plans. And they take a look at it, they address their concerns, and it comes back."

But Union Pacific isn't just down the hall; it's in Omaha, Nebraska, and in the business of trains - not highways. That said, Union Pacific is used to dealing with highway departments.

"Having worked with the railroad for all my career, I have to say that they've been helping us quite a bit on this one. They've been very responsive. They've in flown out twice in order to have on site meetings to work out the problems."

But there are big problems. The railroad hasn't just rubber stamped NDOT's solutions; it's a critical area that, if not done exactly right, could grind Union Pacific's Southern Nevada operations to a complete halt.

"We're building a footing that is about 18 feet below where the tracks are. And it lines up basically with the edge of the ties, so this is a live line."

NDOT says it has solved the water problem and has a new set of marching orders to have the project completed by early springs - at least that's the projection.

"We plan, we coordinate, we do a lot of things. But once you're underground you run into all kinds of things and you just have to take one issue at a time and make sure we get it corrected."

There is currently a dedicated express lane southbound from Sahara to the 215, and northbound from the 215 to the railroad tracks.

News 3 plans to keep tabs on NDOT regarding whether the schedule is put on hold or changes in any way.

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