The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) has secured a $25 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program for the Sun Valley Boulevard Corridor Improvements Project. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., announced the award after working with RTC to advance the project.
The investment will fund improvements along about 2.6 miles of Sun Valley Boulevard, including drainage improvements, new shared-use paths, upgraded bus stops, enhanced pedestrian crossings, ADA upgrades, signal modifications, improved signage and striping, landscaping and pavement rehabilitation.
The project will address longstanding safety concerns on Sun Valley’s busiest corridor. Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 300 crashes occurred along Sun Valley Boulevard, including four fatalities and 12 serious injury crashes. Many pedestrians and cyclists also must travel adjacent to high-speed traffic because of missing sidewalks and drainage ditches.
“This funding reflects what is possible when local priorities are matched by strong federal advocacy and close collaboration among RTC, NDOT, and our congressional delegates,” said Washoe County Commissioner Mariluz Garcia, RTC board member. “Sun Valley residents have waited decades for these long-overdue improvements. This project will do more than transform Sun Valley Boulevard — it will provide necessary infrastructure, improve quality of life, and most importantly, save lives.”
Cortez Masto previously secured $2.5 million for the project in fiscal year 2024, bringing the total federal investment in the corridor to $27.5 million.
The project also will replace an aging drainage system that has contributed to frequent flooding, helping protect the roadway and surrounding neighborhoods while improving year-round travel reliability.
The Sun Valley Boulevard Corridor Improvements Project is part of a strong partnership between RTC, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), and Washoe County. Final design is underway, with construction expected to begin in early 2028.
Projected Financial Breakdown
The reason this particular project is expensive is because Sun Valley has historically relied on aging, large open ditches and undersized culverts for drainage, but this project will finally provide a modernized stormwater drainage system that has the capacity to capture a 100-year storm event.
This is the first time that RTC, NDOT, and USDOT have come together to comprehensively address the infrastructure issues along the corridor (stormwater drainage and safety for cars and pedestrians) and there are a variety of funding sources that will be applied throughout the process:
Design Funding Sources
- Local Gas Tax=$6 million
Right-of-Way Funding Sources
- Local Gas Tax=$1 million
Construction Funding Sources
- NDOT=$33 million
- USDOT BUILD Grant=$25 million
- Local Gas Tax=$19.5 million
- RTC Earmark=$2.5 million (from our congressional delegates: Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, and Mark Amodei)
Combined Total
$87 million dollars being used to improve Sun Valley very soon. Please contact your representatives (county, state, and national) to thank them for this much-needed improvement!
Related Links
RTC secures $25 million federal BUILD grant for Sun Valley Boulevard improvements (RTC)
Sun Valley Blvd Corridor Improvements Project (RTC)
Sun Valley is Center Stage at RTC Board Meeting (SVI)
Washoe County RTC plans $87M Sun Valley safety improvement project (Govt Market News)
Cortez Masto Secures $25 Million for Sun Valley Boulevard Improvements (Catherine Cortez Masto)
RTC awarded $25 million federal grant for Sun Valley Boulevard corridor improvements (This is Reno)
$25 million to improve Sun Valley Blvd approved (KOLO)
RTC secures federal grant for Sun Valley Boulevard improvements (KTVN)
Facebook Post (Devon Reese)
