Carson City Supervisors choose Reno engineering firm for East William Street design project
On Thursday, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve a contract with Nichols Consulting Engineers of Reno for feasibility and design services for the East William Complete Streets Project. The amount for the services is not to exceed $390,242.50.
Carson City was recently awarded a grant of more than $9 million for the East William Complete Streets Project.
The design services contract is, according to staff, necessary to begin evaluation of a Complete Streets Project along East William Street, with the overall goal to revitalize the E. William Street corridor.
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) transferred East William Street to Carson City after the completion of the I-580 Freeway. Prior to the freeway, East William Street was a state highway (US Highway 50) serving as a major roadway to move vehicle traffic quickly through Carson City. The current roadway is wide, with traffic moving at higher speeds, and there are few bicycle or pedestrian amenities. In some sections, there are no sidewalks. While traffic has decreased since the completion of the freeway, crashes have increased. Blocks are long, and intersections with protected pedestrian crossings are infrequent. The result is a vehicle focused corridor with only minimal accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists.
According to the agenda packet, the project is located on E. William Street from Carson Street to I-580, and will include corridor access, ADA compliant sidewalks, a multi-use path and bicycle facilities found in other “complete street” areas in town, upgrades to stormwater facilities and infrastructure, utility replacements, landscaping, street lighting, and more.
It is anticipated that the design will be completed in two phases, with an additional supporting contract needed to deliver a successful project, according to the report. The first phase and contract will advance the design to 15 percent and a future contract will be requested to complete the project design and allow the proposed design to be permitted and constructed.
The 15 percent will focus on completing the necessary evaluations, analysis, engineering investigations, and more.
Work associated with the contract includes topographical survey and mapping, geotechnical investigation and pavement design, initial utility investigation, alternatives development, public outreach support, and utility under grounding coordination.
The decision to approve this contract was unanimous by the Board of Supervisors.
To learn more about this contract, click here.