U.S. 395 North Valleys Phase 2 Is Under Construction: A Golden Valley-to-Stead Guide

If you’ve driven U.S. 395 through Reno’s North Valleys lately, you’ve probably noticed a little bit of everything: shifting lanes, bridge work, construction equipment, new pavement, and a project that seems to keep moving farther north.

There’s a reason the timeline can feel confusing. One major phase between North McCarran Boulevard and Golden Valley Road is getting close to the finish line, while a separate phase between Golden Valley Road and Stead Boulevard has recently started. So, even if you see a newly finished ramp or a smoother stretch of pavement south of Golden Valley, that doesn’t mean the full North Valleys program is done.

As of September 21, 2026, the Nevada Department of Transportation, or NDOT, lists U.S. 395 North Valleys Phase 2 as under construction. Work began July 13, 2026, and the Phase 2 limits run from Golden Valley Road north to Stead Boulevard. NDOT currently schedules major roadway construction through early 2028, although weather, utilities, traffic-control needs, and other construction conditions can still affect that timeline.

For North Valleys residents—and for anyone thinking about buying or selling in Golden Valley, Lemmon Valley, Stead, Cold Springs, Red Rock, or the surrounding areas—the key is to separate the long-term project plan from the temporary construction patterns. Here’s what’s confirmed, what’s still in progress, and what you’ll want to check before relying on a route or completion date.

Phase 2 at a Glance

NDOT describes Phase 2 as approximately $127 million in improvements. The agency also reports that the project received a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grant of nearly $89 million in 2022.

Those numbers tell us this is a major public construction project. What they don’t tell us, on their own, is how the work may feel at a specific interchange, on a specific commute, or from a specific property. That’s where the details matter.

Where Phase 2 Begins and Ends

Phase 2 starts at Golden Valley Road and continues north to Stead Boulevard. The work includes the U.S. 395 corridor through the Lemmon Drive interchange, with construction activity affecting freeway lanes, ramps, bridges, and portions of the surface streets beneath the highway.

That boundary matters because the larger North Valleys program is made up of several different pieces:

• Phase 1A: Replacement of the Parr/Dandini Boulevard bridge, completed in 2020.
• Lemmon Drive interchange: The diverging diamond interchange completed in 2022 through an NDOT and Regional Transportation Commission partnership.
• Phase 1B: North McCarran Boulevard to Golden Valley Road, with major roadway work scheduled to finish in fall 2026 and roadside work continuing through late 2026.
• Phase 2: Golden Valley Road to Stead Boulevard, launched in July 2026 and scheduled for major construction through early 2028.

This is why you may hear that one part of the project is almost finished while construction still appears to have years left. Both statements can be true. They’re just talking about different stretches of U.S. 395.

Local reporting in July quoted NDOT describing Phase 1B as nearing substantial completion while crews and contractors coordinated overlapping work zones. That same report identified Phase 2 as a separate three-mile, $127 million project that is expected to maintain the existing two travel lanes in each direction during daytime operations while still using lane shifts and overnight restrictions as needed.

What NDOT Is Building Between Golden Valley and Stead

The most visible change will be one additional general-purpose lane in each direction. When the widening is complete, NDOT’s plan is for three general-purpose lanes northbound and three southbound between Golden Valley Road and Stead Boulevard.

Phase 2 also includes auxiliary lanes in both directions between the Golden Valley Road and Lemmon Drive interchanges. An auxiliary lane is the connecting lane between an entrance ramp and the next exit ramp. In plain English, it gives drivers more room to enter or leave the freeway without having to merge across the main through lanes right away.

At the Golden Valley Road interchange, NDOT plans to replace the temporary traffic-signal system with a permanent system. The interchange is also being realigned and widened so that two lanes can access southbound U.S. 395.

The project is bigger than lane striping. NDOT’s published scope includes:

• Rehabilitation of existing pavement between Golden Valley Road and Stead Boulevard.
• Bridge widening and related retaining-wall work.
• New sound walls in identified locations.
• Wider highway shoulders intended to provide more room for incident response and roadside operations.
• Drainage improvements.
• Lighting, signs, striping, and intelligent transportation system upgrades.
• Landscaping and location-specific aesthetic treatments.

The aesthetic program also continues some of the design themes from the earlier phase. NDOT’s materials describe Golden Valley elements inspired by native flowers and Lemmon Valley elements influenced by birdlife around the Swan Lake area. Those features are part of the approved project concept, but they should still be treated as work in progress until NDOT confirms installation and completion.

Why the Project Is Moving North

NDOT reports that daily traffic volumes on this corridor increased from about 45,000 vehicles in 2014 to 50,000 in 2025. The agency describes the North Valleys program as a way to improve traffic mobility, highway operations, pavement condition, merging movements, and incident-response space.

That said, it’s important to keep the language grounded. Those are the project’s stated purposes, not promises about every future drive. Travel will still depend on the time of day, weather, incidents, construction stages, and where someone enters or exits the highway. The added lanes and interchange work are planned infrastructure improvements; they’re not a promise that every commute will be faster or that congestion will disappear.

The same caution applies to real estate. Transportation projects can change how people experience an area, but no responsible real estate analysis should treat one road project as proof that future property values will move in a specific direction. Home condition, lot characteristics, supply, financing, surrounding land uses, buyer demand, and many other factors still matter.

What Construction May Look Like Through Early 2028

NDOT’s standing Phase 2 guidance gives drivers a sense of what to expect during construction. The agency identifies periodic lane shifts, overnight reductions to one lane in each direction, intermittent overnight ramp closures, and periodic lane reductions on Golden Valley Road or Lemmon Drive beneath U.S. 395.

During limited phases, one of those surface-street crossings may close overnight or over a weekend while crews work on bridge structures. NDOT says only one interchange is expected to close at a time during those limited operations. Detours are to be marked, and the work-zone speed is reduced to 55 miles per hour.

The August bridge-widening work is a good example of why it’s smart to check the latest source instead of relying on an old closure notice. Golden Valley Road closed beneath the freeway on specified August nights while crews installed falsework for bridge widening. Similar Lemmon Drive work was then rescheduled because of the Hawk Fire before taking place on another set of nights.

Those notices help explain the type of work involved, but their dates have passed. Before every trip, residents should check the current project update rather than rely on a blog, social post, or screenshot that may be several days old.

For current information, NDOT provides several options:

• Visit the official project site at 395NorthValleys.com.
• Text NorthValleys to 866-540-8466 for construction alerts.
• Call the project hotline at (775) 636-4202.
• Check Nevada 511 for current road conditions, incidents, closures, and cameras. Nevada 511 displays official NDOT information alongside clearly identified Waze reports.

What Buyers Should Evaluate During Construction

A highway project like this shouldn’t be reduced to one question, such as, “Will the commute improve?” A better home search looks at how the specific address connects to the corridor today and how that trip could change as construction stages move.

First, test the routes that matter to you at realistic times. A property near Golden Valley Road may use a different interchange and surface-street pattern than one closer to Lemmon Drive or Stead Boulevard. Construction can also affect the most familiar route without changing every possible way in and out.

Second, separate temporary construction conditions from the permanent design. Cones, shifts, overnight closures, equipment staging, and short-term detours are not the final roadway. At the same time, a future layout or rendering isn’t the same as a completed condition. It’s worth reviewing both the current alert and the adopted project plan.

Third, evaluate the property itself. Freeway orientation, topography, existing walls, windows, outdoor areas, local street connections, and distance from ramps can all shape how an individual home experiences traffic and road noise. NDOT’s program includes sound walls in identified locations, but buyers shouldn’t assume that every property will receive the same effect—or any specific level of noise reduction—without reviewing the location-specific plans and the property in person.

Finally, revisit the route before closing. A traffic pattern you experience during the first showing may change by inspection, appraisal, or move-in day. That’s especially important in a multi-year project.

What Sellers Can Do While Work Continues

Sellers don’t need to pretend construction isn’t happening. Clear, current information is much more helpful than minimizing the project or overstating what it may do in the future.

If a listing is affected by temporary access changes, showing instructions can point visitors to the current approach route and remind them to check navigation and NDOT alerts. If a closure is temporary, date it. If the route has reopened, remove the old warning.

Marketing should also separate verified location facts from predictions. It’s reasonable to explain that a home connects to U.S. 395 through Golden Valley Road, Lemmon Drive, or Stead Boulevard. It’s not appropriate to promise a future commute time, claim that construction will increase the home’s value, or describe an unfinished improvement as complete.

At HomeGate Realty, we believe local context should make a listing easier to understand. That means showing the home accurately, explaining the surrounding routes, and helping buyers verify the information that can change.

A Practical Way to Compare Golden Valley, Lemmon Valley, and Stead

Phase 2 ties three major access points into one construction corridor, but those locations aren’t interchangeable.

Golden Valley Road marks the southern end of Phase 2 and the transition from the earlier McCarran-to-Golden Valley work. This interchange receives some of the most substantial Phase 2 changes, including the permanent signal system and two-lane access to southbound U.S. 395.

Lemmon Drive sits within the Phase 2 limits. The planned auxiliary lanes between Golden Valley and Lemmon are intended to organize entering and exiting movements between the two interchanges. Bridge widening and surface-street traffic controls can create temporary changes beneath the freeway.

Stead Boulevard marks the northern end of the Phase 2 widening. A property north or west of that point may use other roads before reaching U.S. 395, so the home’s actual route matters more than a broad “North Valleys” label.

For buyers, the right comparison is address by address. Review the current route, alternate access, property condition, road orientation, and the official project map. For sellers, describe the home’s connections without turning those connections into guarantees.

What Phase 2 Does Not Guarantee

A major public project naturally attracts expectations. It’s important to keep those expectations grounded.

Phase 2 does not guarantee a fixed completion date. Early 2028 is NDOT’s current schedule for major roadway construction, and the agency repeatedly notes that construction is weather permitting and subject to change.

It also does not guarantee a specific travel time. The finished project will add capacity and change merging areas, but real-world travel will still depend on traffic, incidents, weather, and individual origin and destination.

It does not establish a future value for a home. Buyers and sellers should evaluate market conditions and property-specific factors rather than treating infrastructure as an appreciation forecast.

And it does not mean every portion of U.S. 395 is in the same phase. Work south of Golden Valley belongs primarily to Phase 1B, while the Golden Valley-to-Stead segment is Phase 2. The two phases overlap in time, but they have different boundaries and schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is U.S. 395 North Valleys Phase 2 open?

No. Phase 2 is under construction. NDOT launched construction on July 13, 2026 between Golden Valley Road and Stead Boulevard.

When will Phase 2 be finished?

NDOT schedules major roadway construction through early 2028. The schedule is weather permitting and subject to change, so early 2028 should not be treated as a guaranteed completion or opening date.

Is Phase 1 finished?

Phase 1B is a separate project between North McCarran Boulevard and Golden Valley Road. The official project schedule lists major roadway construction completing in fall 2026, with roadside finishing work continuing through late 2026.

Will U.S. 395 close completely?

NDOT’s standing guidance calls for periodic lane shifts, overnight lane reductions, intermittent ramp closures, and limited surface-street closures beneath the freeway during certain operations. Conditions can change, so check the project site or Nevada 511 before traveling.

How can I receive construction alerts?

Text NorthValleys to 866-540-8466, visit 395NorthValleys.com, or use Nevada 511.

Explore North Valleys Real Estate With Local Context

The U.S. 395 widening is one part of a much larger decision about buying or selling in the North Valleys. The right property still comes down to the specific home, its condition, its site, its access, the surrounding uses, and how those details fit your priorities.

HomeGate Realty helps buyers compare North Valleys properties address by address rather than relying on broad labels or development promises. For sellers, we create marketing that explains a home’s actual features and location while keeping changing construction information accurate.

If you’re exploring Golden Valley, Lemmon Valley, Stead, Cold Springs, Red Rock, or another Northern Nevada community, contact HomeGate Realty at (775) 742-2591 or visit HomeGateRealty.com.

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