Nevada State Route 34

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State Route 34

Map
The portion of former Nevada State Route 34 that is now Washoe County Route 34 in Red, other portions not shown.
Route information
Existed?–1976
Major junctions
South end SR 1 (now I-80 Business Loop in Wadsworth
Major intersectionsFormer SR 49 near Gerlach
CR 447 in Gerlach
Former SR 8A in Vya
North endColeman Valley Road at the Oregon state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
Highway system
  • Nevada State Highway System
The junction of Nevada 447 and CR 34. Notice that the shield for CR 34 is a circle, this is to indicate that CR 34 is not a state route.

State Route 34[1] is a decommissioned state highway in Nevada from prior to the state's highway restructuring in 1976. Despite no longer being maintained by the Nevada Department of Transportation the northern portion is still commonly referred to as SR 34 today. The southern portion is still maintained as a state route as Nevada State Route 447.

The full extent of Route 34 ran from Wadsworth to the Oregon state line near the triple point of Oregon, Nevada, and California. Just shy of the Oregon state line, a spur route, State Route 34A, existed as a connection to modern Nevada State Route 140, then part of SR 8A, that remained inside Nevada, as continuing along SR34 or SR8A would require crossing into a neighboring state to make this connection.

Route description

The southern portion (from Wadsworth to Gerlach) is still part of the Nevada state highway system, but now designated Nevada State Route 447.[2] The northern piece is still frequently called Nevada Route 34, but is now officially Washoe County Route 34.[3] A short piece of former SR 34 through Gerlach is now part of County Route 447. The Washoe County maintained portion serves the Black Rock Desert and is the primary access road to the annual Burning Man festival. Other attractions along CR 34 include the ghost town of Vya and the Fly Geyser. The route serves the extreme Northwestern corner of Nevada, and reaches the Oregon state line near the tri-point with California.

A milemarker for CR 34, located about 5 miles north of Gerlach

History

In the 1950s the pavement ended and became gravel[4] just past the sand dunes north of Nixon. In 1953, south of Gerlach, the paving was incomplete and State Route 81 (modern Washoe County Route 447) from Gerlach to the California state line was not surfaced.[5] By 1963, the road was paved to Gerlach[6] and State Route 81 was partly paved from Gerlach to the California State Line.

Before 1978 SR 34 followed present day SR 447 route, from Gerlach to Wadsworth, Nevada.[7]

Major intersections

This table only shows the portion now designated County Route 34.

The entire route is in Washoe County.

LocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Gerlach CR 447To SR 447
Vya
SR 8A east
Southern end of SR 8A concurrency

SR 8A west
Northern end of SR 8A concurrency

SR 34A east
connector to SR 8A and SR 140
Oregon state lineColeman Valley RoadTo OR 140 – Adel, Lakeview, Denio
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ Official Road Map of the State of Nevada (Map). Nevada Department of Highways. 1941. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
  2. ^ "State Maintained Highways of Nevada, Descriptions and Maps" (PDF). Nevada Department of Transportation. 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2009.
  3. ^ "Budget Presentation FY 2008‐2009" (PDF). Washoe County Department of Public Works. p. 14. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  4. ^ Wilson, Larry. "Small towns hit the 'bust' in Nevada's 'boom and bust' history". Daily Sparks Tribune. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013.
  5. ^ Burns, John & Johnson, Frank (April 26, 1953). "Residents of Gerlach Like to Think of It As One of the last Genuine Frontier Towns". Nevada State Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  6. ^ Sinclair, W.C. (October 1, 1963). Ground Water Appraisal of the Black Rock Desert Area, Northwestern Nevada (PDF) (Report). Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.
  7. ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (1978–79 ed.). Nevada Department of Highways. 1978. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2020.