U.S. Route 95 Alternate (Yerington-Fernley, Nevada)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


U.S. Route 95 Alternate
Length: 71.236 mi[1] (114.643 km)
Formed: 1941
South end: US 95 near Schurz
Major
junctions:
US 50 in Silver Springs


US 50 Alt. in Fernley

North end: I-80 in Fernley
Major cities: Yerington, Silver Springs, Fernley
Nevada highways
< US 95 SR 115 >

Alternate U.S. Route 95, as its name implies, is an alternate route of U.S. Route 95. Two, and possibly three, routes with the same number have existed in Nevada.

Contents

[edit] Route Description

The present Alternate US 95 begins at its junction with US 95 in Schurz and runs west to Yerington. From there, it runs north to Silver Springs and Fernley. Alternate US 95 is routed concurrently with as Alternate US 50 from Silver Springs to Fernley.

Nevada’s official highway log lists the northern termination of the route at its junction with I-80 at Fernley.[1] However, maps, including Nevada’s own official state maps, show the route continuing northwest along I-80 to its junction with mainline US 95 at exit 83.

A second Alternate US 95 existed in Nevada from 1960-1978 between Fernley and Fallon. A third one existed in Las Vegas in the 1950s and provided a bypass of the downtown area.

[edit] History

Dates are based on when changes appear on official Nevada state highway maps unless otherwise noted.

The present Alternate US 95 was commissioned in 1941. It ran from its current southern terminus at Schurz to the junction with US 40 and US 95 at Fernley. However, it was displayed on the official 1941 Nevada highway map as US 95, making it appear is if there were two different highways with the same number. The error was corrected on the 1942 map. Alternate US 95 replaced part of SR 3 between Schurz and Yerington; SR 2B from Yerington to present-day Fort Churchill Rd., south of Silver Springs; and SR 1B from Fort Churchill Rd. to Fernley.

A second Alternate US 95 was created in 1960 due a realignment of mainline US 95. Mainline US 95 was extended due north from Fallon to US 40 over the former SR 1A. The former route of US 95 via Fernley was renumbered as Alternate US 95. Strangely, this placed two different routes numbered as Alternate US 95 in the same area of Nevada with the two meeting at Fernley. This lasted until around 1978 when the route from Fallon to Fernley was renumbered as Alternate US 50, except for the easternmost nine miles; they had been concurrently numbered as US 50 and retained that number.

A third Alternate US 95 existed in Las Vegas in the 1950’s.[2] The route served as a bypass of downtown Las Vegas. The southern terminus was at Charleston Blvd. and Boulder Hwy (US 93/US 95/US 466). From there, it ran west to Rancho Rd. (now Rancho Dr.) and then north on Rancho to its northern terminus at its intersection with Bonanza Dr. (then US 95, now SR 579).

[edit] References

  • Nevada Department of Highways. Official Road Map of the State of Nevada [map]. (1941)
  • State of Nevada, Department of Highways. Official Highway Map of Nevada [map]. (1953)
  • Nevada Department of Highways. Official Highway Map of Nevada [map]. (1956)
  • Nevada State Highway Department. Official Highway Map of Nevada [map]. (1960)
  • Nevada State Highway Department. Official Highway Map of Nevada [map]. (1978-9)
  • Nevada State Maintained Highways, Descriptions, Index and Maps

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b (January, 2006) Nevada’s State Maintained Highways: Descriptions, Index, and Maps. Nevada Department of Transportation, Roadway Systems Division, 94. 
  2. ^ Cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Vicinity. California State Automobile Association, University of Nevada – Las Vegas Libraries (1957?-1960?). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.