Nye County will pay $154,350 to prepare engineering designs for the Highway 160 and Homestead Road intersection.

A change order in that amount will be tacked onto the $324,432 contract PBS&J received in March to prepare preliminary engineering designs for several roads in the Streets and Highways Capital Improvement Plan for the years 2006-2015.

The project will be divided into two design packages, according to a contract approved by county commissioners last week.

Package one will be for a temporary traffic signal, with minimal pavement widening and striping.

Package two will be for the permanent improvements, with the permanent traffic signal, lane configuration, connections to existing roadways with signs, striping and storm drain modifications.

The design work doesn't include right-of-way acquisition, drainage studies, a traffic study and relocating utilities. It also doesn't include the permanent traffic signal itself, which will be designed by the state Department of Transportation.

A conceptual layout developed by Nye County and NDOT will be used by consultants to make the final plans. The consultants plans will be reviewed by the county and NDOT prior to finalizing the construction documents.

The county will provide hydrology studies on drainage flows for storm events, counts from traffic studies, information on property lines, utilities, storm drains and other information.

PBS&J program manager Ben Sprague outlined a schedule to Nye County Public Works Director Samson Yao calling for presentation of the temporary traffic light signal layout to NDOT for approval Aug. 21.

Sprague expects the county to receive a temporary signal encroachment permit and approval of the preliminary layout by Nov. 9. The submission of draft preliminary plans is expected by Oct. 5 and final preliminary plans are expected to be submitted to NDOT by Dec. 21.

In a July 24 email to Nye County Public Works, Sprague wrote his company's fee increased due to increased drainage efforts to overtop Highway 160. He also referred to coordination efforts required by NDOT to clear up misunderstandings.

For example, NDOT provided a schematic layout of the temporary signal that included new pavement for better turning movements, while Nye County indicated it didn't want to widen the roadway with the temporary traffic light.

"There also seems to be a difference in understanding about the project internally within NDOT. We spoke with NDOT's traffic group in Carson City and they had a different understanding of who was doing what. Though I believe NDOT has got this resolved, for now, internal NDOT misunderstandings are common on projects of this nature," Sprague wrote.

The intersection improvements will be paid out of a combination of state and county funds. NDOT is providing $450,000, the county is providing $750,000 out of the payment equal to taxes and $300,000 from impact fees.

The traffic light is probably the most eagerly awaited in the state of Nevada. The intersection lies on an 8.5-mile section where Highway 160 narrows to two lanes, making it difficult for traffic on busy Homestead Road to the south or Winery Road to the north, to enter.

Last May, Rudy Malfabon, NDOT deputy director for Southern Nevada, predicted a temporary traffic light could be installed within three months. But he said Nye County hadn't negotiated for right-of-way to widen the intersection.

Yao reported to commissioners June 5 he just received a copy of the inter-local agreement between the county and NDOT to erect the temporary traffic light.

When Yao was questioned again by commissioners July 17, he estimated it would be from six to nine months before the temporary light was ready.

"Damn," was the response of County Commissioner Joni Eastley.

"The permanent one will take 18 months," Yao said. That would put it into January 2009.

The contract was approved as one of 19 items on the consent agenda which can be approved with one motion. There was no discussion about the PBS&J change order.