Sandie Barrie battles fast, oncoming traffic along Pyramid every day near where she lives off Queen Way and she says it’s downright dangerous at times.

“I’m concerned about losing the Emerson turning into because it’s so dangerous at the corner of Queen and Pyramid,” she said. “The stoplights keep you sitting there for up to two to three minutes at a time and the traffic out there is going very fast.”

Barrie, a 25-year Sparks resident, said a solution is sorely needed at the Pyramid Way/McCarran Boulevard intersection, one of the Regional Transportation Commission’s most problematic traffic issues. So on Sunday, along with other frustrated motorists at the first of two meetings for the northwest quadrant, the RTC and the Nevada Department of Transportation, she spoke up on the issue.

“(On Pyramid) when you’re going northbound you’re almost at 55 (mph), so everyone’s gearing up and they’re going out,” she said.

It’s no better going downhill, Barrie said, when drivers should be slowing down to 35 mph and police enforcement isn’t possible 24 hours a day.

The congestion that pours into Pyramid/McCarran is due in large part to the city’s growth over the years, said Bill Vann, RTC senior engineer.

The Pyramid Way and McCarran Boulevard section services commuters in the cities of Sparks and Reno and unincorporated portions of Washoe County, including Spanish Springs, to the north. Improvements would affect Pyramid from Queen Way to York Way and McCarran from Rock Boulevard to Fourth Street.

The intersection previously was identified in a 2003 RTC study as the third most congested in Washoe County in need of improvements. Vann said he feels it could now be the mostly heavily used.

“We have 12 intersections slated for improvement,” Vann said. “The area has grown such that traffic (that was meant to be directed on McCarran’s loop) is now heavy on Pyramid.”

On Sunday, RTC proposed three alternatives to alleviate traffic flow for the 2030 plan.

• An at-grade, or a “fat intersection,” plan would allow the Pyramid southbound route to widen into four lanes through the intersection. One of those lanes would drop off as a right turn lane onto McCarran while the remaining three would keep extending south to York Way and would then narrow to two lanes. Traveling northbound, there would be three lanes and would become four lanes past McCarran to Los Altos Parkway Westbound McCarran would be widened starting at Fourth Street to accommodate turning movements. Vann said the widening of that portion of McCarran is not intended to be a part of this particular project. Eastbound McCarran would have a triple left turn onto Pyramid to suit the heavy evening flow. Vann said this option would be cheaper to build, require same amount of right of way as the current infrastructure and wouldn’t have to be built in stages.

• In the grade separation alternative, an overpass would be built on Pyramid from Emerson to York, effectively limiting traffic light operation to the McCarran traffic. Northbound and southbound lanes would accommodate turning movement to go from Pyramid to McCarran. Vann said this plan provides more flexibility, would also be more costly with the building of the structure in stages and could also create more noise.

• The third option is build a structure that would only allow create left-turn access for eastbound McCarran drivers onto northbound Pyramid that would free up signal time in the other directions to make the section work, Vann said. The downside is it would be too costly to build a structure that may or may not hold up for future needs, he said. Thus, this alternative will likely be eliminated first among the three choices.

Whatever the plan, Vann said the RTC hopes to have something in place by 2012. In order to do so, it must first complete its environmental impact statement (EIS) process.

The RTC began the Pyramid-McCarran EIS in 2006. The process requires a series of studies on traffic issues, including pedestrian and bike safety, noise, visual effects and alternatives. RTC and NDOT officials must also conduct public hearings to receive community input.

Once the final EIS has been approved, plans must be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for funding. Vann said some financial support may also come from a local match from NDOT, which usually amounts to about 5 percent of the total cost.

Andrea Reeves, environmental planner with Parsons, said engineers must draw out solutions while considering the needs of the public.

“Let me emphasize that nothing’s been decided,” Reeves said. “It’s a very complicated situation. At the end of the day, there’s going to be some give and take.”

On Sunday, questions varied in range, addressing anything from RTC’s priorities in their projects to the hiring of a Las Vegas firm, Parsons, to work on the improvements. Residents said they were frustrated by the timing of this particular project when they felt other traffic congestion sites should have been identified and addressed first, including Pyramid and Queen Way, Pyramid and Los Altos Parkway, and Los Altos Parkway and Sparks Boulevard.

Some residents left the meeting discouraged. One resident who declined to give his name felt the meeting was unproductive.

“They didn’t give us solutions; they are the problem,” he said. “I don’t think they factored in the price of gas, the housing market... I’ve been to these since 2003 and they never give any new information, never give any alternatives -- just the same old stuff.”

Despite some heated outbursts and questions during the meeting, Vann said the sizable crowd was beneficial for supplying RTC with input.

“I was pleased with the turnout,” he said. “There were a lot of new faces and a lot of old folks, and they want to make sure they’re heard. It was gratifying to see so many people come out here.”

Barrie said however RTC decides to improve Pyramid-McCarran, she hopes it will be more effective.

“I’d like to see more lanes and that it’s just straight through and no overpasses and have less of an impact on homes,” she said.

The RTC hosts a second meeting tonight at Sparks’ Immaculate Conception Church from 5 to 7 p.m.