From the Virginia & Truckee Yahoo group:

After more than a dozen years of work, plans to rebuild the historic Virginia
&Truckee Railroad reached a milestone Thursday when bids were opened for the
first phase of construction.



The apparent low bidder among six contractors seeking the project was Contri
Construction of Reno at $3.79 million.



Nevada Department of Transportation officials, who opened the bids at Carson
City headquarters, had estimated the cost at just over $4 million.



Officials said it should take about three weeks to certify Contri’s proposal
and award a contract. If everything is in order, construction on crossing the
Overman Pit near Gold Hill could begin late this month or early March.



The first phase involves bringing in an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of fill
and constructing track across the pit and to American Flat south of Gold Hill.



The proposal to rebuild the famed short line as a regional tourist attraction
calls for linking Virginia City with Carson City. An existing 2.5-mile
segment runs between Virginia City and Gold Hill.



“This is great news. For years, the naysayers said it couldn’t be done. Many
times I was asked why I bothered to keep working on something that wasn’t
going to happen,’’ said Janice Ayres, a member of the Nevada Commission for the
Reconstruction of the V&T Railway and president of the non-profit,
fund-raising Northern Nevada Railway Foundation.



Consulting engineer Ken Dorr said he also heard people who told him the
project was never going to get off the ground.

Dorr said he was part of the first survey team for the Overman Pit 13 years
ago. Since then, community officials and activists have worked to drum up
interest in the project, have secured rights-of-way and arranged for materials to
be donated.



Commission and foundation members, along with other supporters, are convinced
the railroad can provide a vital economic boost to the region. Studies
completed in recent years show the public has a significant interest in trains and
emphasized major economic impacts would result — from railway construction at
first and tourism-based revenue later.

The state transportation agency has oversight for the first phase of the
17-mile rebuilding plan because federal transportation funds were secured for the
work.



Reconstruction through parts of Storey and Lyon counties and Carson City is
expected to cost about $30 million. The commission has more than $7 million
from federal funds, Carson City room taxes, Storey County sales taxes and
fund-raisers.