Nevada State Route 342

State Route 342 (SR 342) is a short state highway in Nevada, United States. It is a loop route of State Route 341, running north through the communities of Silver City and Gold Hill before returning to State Route 341 near Virginia City. This highway is a historic route, dating back to the Comstock Lode of the 1860s. The highway loosely parallels, and crosses, the route of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Prior to renumbering in the 1970s this route was known as State Route 80.

State Route 342 marker

State Route 342

Silver City/Gold Hill Road
SR 342 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length3.780 mi[1] (6.083 km)
Existed1976–present
Major junctions
South end SR 341 in Silver City
North end SR 341 in Virginia City
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
Highway system
  • Nevada State Highway System
← SR 341→ SR 359

Route description
View from the south end of SR 342 looking northbound
Hairpin curve and steep grades between Gold Hill and Virginia City

SR 342 is the original and shorter of the two routes between Silver City and Virginia City. However, trucks are required to use newer alignment (SR 341) due to 15% grades and hairpin curves. The route begins just south of Gold Hill, at the junction with SR 341. Both routes have Virginia City listed as the first control city, however all trucks are directed to use SR 341 instead of SR 342. The highway runs through narrow Gold Canyon for its entire length. This highway serves as the main street of Gold Hill and Silver City. While in Silver City the highway crosses the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, now a heritage railroad that once served as a primary route to transport silver from the mines in Virginia City.

History

This highway was the principal highway between Virginia City and Carson City and has been in use since the Comstock Lode of the 1860s. The highway has appeared on Nevada highway maps since at least as far back as 1919 and was first numbered part of Nevada State Route 17 (modern State Route 341) sometime in the 1920s.[2] The 1937 edition of the official Nevada Highway Map was the first to show both routes between Virginia City and Silver City, with both routes numbered 17. The 1949 edition showed separate numbers for the two routes, with the older route now numbered 80.[3] It retained the 80 designation at least to 1979,[4] before being renumbered route 342.

Major intersections
SR 342 inside Gold Canyon between Silver City and Gold Hill

Mileposts in Nevada reset at county lines; the start and end mileposts are given in the county column.

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Lyon
0.00–0.84		Silver City0.0000.000 SR 341 – Virginia City, Dayton, Carson City
Storey
0.00–2.943		Virginia City2.9434.736 SR 341 – Silver City, Reno
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2017). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  2. "Historical Maps". Nevada Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  3. Official Highway Map (Map). Nevada Department of Transportation. 1949. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  4. Official Highway Map (Map). Nevada Department of Transportation. 1979. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
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