Highway repairs extended following May 15 earthquake near Tonopah

Segments of U.S. Highway 95 will remain closed near Tonopah through June 30 because of damage caused by a May 15 earthquake, a state official said Tuesday.

Tony Illia with the Nevada Department of Transportation said the highway closure is in place between the U.S. Highway 6 and state Route 360 junctions in Esmeralda and Mineral counties.

Authorities hoped to have the road reopened Wednesday, but the closure had to be extended nearly two weeks to complete an “additional, separate chip seal pavement improvement project,” Illia said.

The Transportation Department already has made $2.43 million in emergency repairs since the quake, which rattled homes and caused damage to the highway in both counties. The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 20 miles southeast of Mina.

Illia said the additional work on U.S. 95 will take place between mile markers 83 and 97 in Esmeralda County and between mile markers 0 and 25 in Mineral County. Motorists will be detoured along U.S. Highway 6 and state Route 360, resulting in up to 30-minute travel delays.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.