Golden Valley Road under U.S. 395 in Reno’s North Valleys will close to through traffic overnight from August 17 through the morning of August 22 while crews install falsework for bridge widening.
If you drive that underpass after 9 p.m., plan a detour. Daytime travel on Golden Valley under the freeway stays open, and the main U.S. 395 ramps at Golden Valley remain open with only intermittent overnight off-ramp work.
- Where: Golden Valley Road under U.S. 395 between North Hills Boulevard and North Virginia Street.
- When: Nightly 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Aug 17 through the morning of Aug 22.
- Why: Falsework for upcoming U.S. 395 bridge widening in the North Valleys.
- Daytime: Golden Valley under the freeway stays open.
- Next: Similar overnight Lemmon Drive interchange closures are scheduled after this window.
What NDOT is closing this week
According to News 4 Reno reporting on the Nevada Department of Transportation schedule, dated August 13, 2026, Golden Valley Road will close to through traffic underneath U.S. 395 between North Hills Boulevard and North Virginia Street as crews install falsework for upcoming bridge widening.
Closures run nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning August 17 and lasting through the morning of August 22. The underpass reopens each day for daytime traffic. Detour routes will be available and signed.
U.S. 395 and Golden Valley freeway ramps stay open in the baseline plan, with intermittent overnight closures of the northbound U.S. 395 off-ramp to Golden Valley Road. Do not invent a full freeway shutdown from an underpass closure.
After this Golden Valley window, similar overnight closures at the Lemmon Drive interchange are scheduled. Treat that as a follow-on card, not a same-night dual closure of both interchanges. NDOT has said only one interchange closes at a time in earlier phase briefings.
Confirmed fact is the underpass segment, the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. band, the August 17 to morning August 22 window, daytime reopening, and the intermittent northbound off-ramp note. Interpretation is that late restaurant, casino, airport, and Tahoe-bound return trips that cut under 395 at Golden Valley break first. Still unknown is the exact detour street list on any given night if temporary signs shift.
How this sits inside the larger U.S. 395 North Valleys project
The work is part of NDOT’s multi-phase project to widen U.S. 395 to three lanes each way and improve mobility in the North Valleys. Phase two launched July 13, 2026, and continues improvements between Golden Valley Road and Stead Boulevard with work scheduled through early 2028, according to NDOT project messaging restated by local coverage.
Drivers already face continuing overnight mainline reductions on U.S. 395 between north McCarran Boulevard and Stead Boulevard. Those reductions cut the freeway to one lane each way from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with intermittent ramp closures in the same night window, reduced 55 mph speeds through the work zone all day, and periodic lane shifts.
That means a night trip can stack two problems: a narrower freeway and a closed underpass at Golden Valley. If your GPS still offers the underpass after 9 p.m., follow the signed detour instead of forcing a closed gore.
Traffic volumes on this corridor have climbed from about 45,000 vehicles a day in 2014 to about 50,000 in 2025 in NDOT’s project framing. The agency is adding a lane each way between North McCarran and Stead, auxiliary merge lanes, a permanent signal system at Golden Valley, pavement rehabilitation, sound walls, lighting, and drainage upgrades.
Construction can change for weather or wildfire evacuation needs. NDOT and local outlets tell drivers to treat the calendar as weather and emergency flexible, not as a guaranteed cone schedule.
Who needs a new night plan
North Valleys residents who use Golden Valley Road as a short cut under 395 after late shifts are the first group. A 9 p.m. closure turns a two-minute underpass into a surface detour through North Hills or North Virginia side streets.
Reno-Tahoe travelers staging hotels in the North Valleys are the second group. A late arrival from the airport or a late return from downtown can hit both the one-lane freeway and the closed underpass. Budget extra time after 8 p.m. on U.S. 395 and after 9 p.m. on Golden Valley itself.
Through traffic staying on U.S. 395 is the third group. You may never touch Golden Valley Road, but you still face overnight one-lane reductions and a 55 mph work zone. That is a separate decision from the underpass closure and should not be ignored.
Deep Arrival’s Lake Tahoe things-to-do guide remains useful if your trip continues north or west after you clear the North Valleys work zone. It does not replace NDOT signs for the underpass itself.
A concrete scenario helps. A couple leaves a downtown Reno show at 10:15 p.m. for a North Valleys hotel and usually drops under 395 at Golden Valley. During this window they should follow the signed detour, expect slower U.S. 395 mainline conditions, and avoid side-street experiments that re-enter a closed falsework zone.
How to get live updates
NDOT is pushing construction text alerts for the North Valleys project. Drivers can text NorthValleys to 866-540-8466 for project messages, per the same local report that carries the August 17 to 22 underpass schedule.
Additional state highway information is available at dot.nv.gov or by calling (775) 888-7000. Use those official channels when a night is cancelled for weather or emergency work.
Watch for temporary signal and ramp changes at Golden Valley as the permanent signal system replaces temporary signals and the interchange is realigned. Those are longer-term project features, not only this week’s falsework nights.
Do not treat a third-party maps app as final if it still offers the closed underpass. Follow posted detours and official NDOT messaging, then report the map error inside the app.
Separate this Reno North Valleys card from California U.S. 395 wildfire or mountain closures farther south. Different agency, different mileposts, different traveler decision.
| If you… | Then do this |
|---|---|
| Need Golden Valley under U.S. 395 after 9 p.m. Aug 17 to 21 | Use the signed detour; the underpass is closed to through traffic until 5 a.m. |
| Only drive the corridor in daylight | Expect the underpass open, but still watch for mainline work-zone shifts. |
| Stay on U.S. 395 overnight | Plan for one lane each way 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and 55 mph through the zone. |
| Use the northbound off-ramp to Golden Valley late | Allow for intermittent overnight ramp closures and marked detours. |
| Want schedule texts | Text NorthValleys to 866-540-8466 for NDOT project alerts. |
- Night window: 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Aug 17 through morning Aug 22, for the Golden Valley underpass.
- Daytime: Keep Golden Valley under 395 available in the baseline plan.
- Mainline: Continue to expect overnight one-lane U.S. 395 reductions nearby.
- Sequence: Lemmon Drive similar overnight closures come after this Golden Valley package.
- Flexibility: Schedules can change for weather or fire evacuation needs.
For North Valleys drivers, the useful move is mechanical: delete the after-9 p.m. Golden Valley underpass from your mental map for this week, follow the signed detour, and keep NDOT alerts on until the falsework nights end.
When does Golden Valley Road under U.S. 395 close?
Nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning August 17 and lasting through the morning of August 22, 2026, weather and schedule permitting.
Is U.S. 395 itself closed?
No. The package closes the Golden Valley underpass to through traffic. The freeway remains open with overnight lane reductions and possible intermittent ramp work.
Is the underpass open during the day?
Yes. Local reporting of the NDOT schedule says Golden Valley Road underneath U.S. 395 will be open during daytime hours.
What comes after these nights?
Similar overnight closures at the Lemmon Drive interchange are scheduled after the Golden Valley falsework window completes.
