Washington St


Patrick Pittenger, Transportation Manager at Carson City Public Works, provided a list of recent and future projects to improve sidewalks around Carson City.

Recent

  • Fremont Elementary – Sidewalk widening and new connection to gate, about $16k from RTC, complete.
  • Curry near Sophia – Install new detached sidewalk and curb ramps at request of local business, about $20k from RTC, complete.
  • Washington – Sidewalk addition and improvements from Carson St to Roop St, about $306k from CDBG grant and about $13k from RTC, complete.
  • Division/Spear – Remove old sidewalk and replace/upgrade and install corner ramps, about $6K from RTC and remainder from property owner, complete.
  • Fifth and Goni – Sidewalk and bike lane additions on Fifth St between Fairview and Carson River Rd, and on Goni Rd between Arrowhead Dr and Conestoga Dr, CDBG grant, sidewalk work complete but landscaping now being added to Fifth St.

Future

  • Moffat Open Space Connection – Multi-use path connecting existing Route 6 to Lepire Dr, about $187 from Safe Routes to School grant, fall 2010 or spring 2011.
  • Long – Installation of new sidewalk on north side of Long between Saliman and Marian. Design nearing completion, about $123k from a CDBG grant.
  • Roop, from Winnie to Northridge – Installation of a separated path and bike lanes, about $400k from Transportation Enhancement grant and about $25k from RTC. We don’t yet know if this project is affected by the recent rescissions.

Street Operations also has some limited resources to complete sidewalk and curb maintenance projects. Those projects typically do not result in new connections or substantial upgrades, but repair or replace existing infrastructure. You’ll notice these projects where a single ramp was placed or repaired, a few feet of sidewalk replaced, or a deteriorated curb rebuilt. Other similar small projects are completed by property owners.
I think all of the projects are wonderful and a welcome contribution to making Carson City more walkable, but I am concerned that we are not keeping up with the deterioration of sidewalks and curbs all over town, nor are we making very fast progress towards filling sidewalk gaps and adding the ADA compliant ramps that could improve every intersection.
Once the current rescission crisis is over (because the money is gone, the damage known, and the application process open again), the city is interested in applying for more Transportation Enhancement grants. Transportation enhancement is a small program within the overall federal transportation program, of which one use is to provide pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The city will also continue to consider sidewalk projects for CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) applications, though there are many competing uses for those grants. Patrick welcomes Muscle Powered’s input on future projects.