Muller Lane Parkway makes progress

This week saw progress on two ends of Muller Lane Parkway.

On Wednesday Douglas County Regional Transportation commissioners voted to transfer $5.5 million into the parkway fund.

Transportation Engineer Jon Erb said that the county has put work on its portion of the Parkway out to bid. A public bid opening for the $9-11 million project is scheduled for March 28.

Douglas County is obligated to build two lanes of the Parkway across Park Ranch Holdings land north of Minden by Dec. 31, 2025.

Erb told transportation commissioners that the first work will begin outside of the flood plain as the county waits to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on those portions in the flood plain.

He said the Parkway has been fully designed.

On Tuesday, Gardnerville Town Board members recommended a zoning map amendment, a planned development and three tentative parcel maps for the Virginia Ranch project north of Grant Avenue.

Project spokesman Chris Baker of Manhard Consulting said the first phase of the development is construction of Muller Lane Parkway from Grant to Toler Lane.

“If the applicants had their way Muller Parkway would already be there,” he said.

The project goes to Douglas County planning commissioners 1 p.m. Tuesday.  

There are still some gaps in the parkway, which has been on the books since 1992.

A route around Minden and Gardnerville has been under discussion for decades, with the rough path of Muller Lane Parkway first suggested in 1989.

Portions of the road currently exist south of the Gardnerville Walmart, and just east of Highway 395 north of Minden.

The county prohibited trucks on Muller Parkway.