Extension of Carson City’s Colorado Street multi-use path OKd

The Regional Transportation Commission on Wednesday approved several contracts and agreements, including one for the extension of the multi-use path from Colorado Street to the Pete Livermore Sports Complex.

The Nevada Department of Transportation, under the agreement, will design and construct about 1.8 miles of asphalt path. The project is being paid for through a Transportation Alternatives Program grant for $1.57 million and local funding of $80,900, and construction is expected to start in 2021.

The RTC also approved a $432,307.70 contract with Sierra Nevada Construction, Inc., to reconstruct Goni Road between Arrowhead Drive and Boeing Way, and a $222,849 contract with NV NJ Construction Group for new curb ramps and driveway aprons along College Parkway.

The latter project includes bringing driveways that intersect the sidewalk and serve three businesses — Burger King, 7-Eleven and Port of Subs — into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards and prompted a discussion on whether the city should pay for improvements at a private business.

“My concern is we’re going to be accused of favoritism,” said Supervisor Brad Bonkowski, RTC chair.

Bonkowski said he had told a business along South Carson Street the city might be able to do work on its driveway as part of the reconstruction of that road, but the business would be charged for it.

But, the improvements on College Parkway are solely to bring the driveways into compliance due to their slope and not due to maintenance so the commission agreed it was the responsibility of the city. The project is being paid for through Community Development Block Grant money. The RTC also heard a presentation on a traffic study done by Headway Transportation for the South Carson Street Complete Streets Project. The study was commissioned by Public Works to look at the street design early in the process and make recommendations in terms of traffic flow at 14 intersections, currently and 20 years from now.

Those recommendations — making the roundabout at Stewart Street two lanes, for example — have already been incorporated into the ongoing design of the street.

Dan Stuckey, city engineer, said traffic on the road is now 24,500 vehicles daily, a 44 percent drop since before the freeway bypass went in, and projected to be 32,600 in 2040, still 25 percent less than in 2001 when South Carson Street was also a five-lane road.

Loren Chilson, principal, Headway Transportation, said there will be longer delays at intersections in the future, prompting some drivers to take alternate routes, such as Curry Street, or to make u-turns, which are being incorporated into the design.

The city plans to post the traffic report online, either at carsonproud.com or at the RTC section of carson.org.