Rumble strips planned for Nevada highways

Drivers on some of Nevada's highways who might get a little tired or distracted will get a little help staying in their lane.

The Nevada Department of Transportation plans to install center-line rumble strips on 1,300 miles of state highways, including seven miles of Highway 207 in Douglas County.

NDOT spokesman Scott Magruder said the cost would be $500 per mile for 1,300 miles, or $650,000.

"This is an inexpensive but effective way to prevent head-on collisions," he said. "We've all drifted in one way or another, and it can save a life."

Magruder said the rumble strips would alert motorists who might be talking on a cell phone, changing a CD or just getting sleepy that they need to correct their course.

Magruder said the strips will be installed in rural areas all over the state, especially on two-lane roads, beginning in September and continuing to May 2009. Traffic will be limited to one lane in work areas during the project.