Interstate 580 in Carson City will be open in August. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

It’s about to open – the connector from the bottom of Spooner Summit to points north.

The multi-million-dollar bypass that will allow motorists to not have to drive through Carson City, but instead head directly to Reno or take one of the Carson exits is scheduled to open the first week in August.

This section from Spooner to Fairview Avenue is 3.2 miles. It is actually 1.8 miles longer than going from Spooner via South Carson Street to Fairview. Still, NDOT estimates the time saved will be five minutes on the interstate.

“Within the next two decades, an estimated 43,000 vehicles are anticipated to travel on the south end of the freeway daily, meaning this time savings will really add up when considering all vehicles projected to drive the freeway every day,” Meg Ragonese with NDOT told Lake Tahoe News on a tour of the project in 2015.

For now, there will be a signal at the bottom of Spooner. The goal is to one day have a flyover so motorists don’t have to stop. That, though, comes with a price tag of about $24 million. No time line is set for that project.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report