Carson City’s next installment of ‘Complete Streets Project’ could become a reality with federal grant
At the upcoming Thursday, June 3 Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting, the board will discuss whether to approve the submission of a grant application for the William Street Complete Streets Project, which is currently estimated to cost $16.9 million to complete.
The United States Department of Transportation is currently requesting project applications for the 2021 RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) discretionary grant funding to be submitted no later than July 12, 2021.
RAISE is a re-branded grant program formerly known as BUILD/TIGER, according to the agenda. The purpose of the grant program is to fund critical transportation projects that promise to achieve national objectives across the country.
The Carson City Public Works department is seeking approval from the board to submit a grant application for the William Street Complete Streets Projects.
The city’s grant policy requires any grant application over $50,000 to be approved by the board before the application is submitted by city staff.
The grant would need up to a 60 percent local match, according to the agenda.
USDOT has announced the opportunity for regional and local governments to apply for $1 billion in discretionary grant funding through the RAISE program. FY 2021 RAISE grant funding will be awarded on a competitive basis and will be evaluated based on merit criteria that include safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, innovation, and partnership.
The estimated $16.9 million William Street Complete Streets Project is proposed to span from North Carson Street to Interstate 580.
The project is planned to include complete streets transportation improvements and roadway rehabilitation, as well as water, wastewater, smart traffic infrastructure, sustainable stormwater improvements, and improved vehicle circulation and safety improvements throughout the project corridor.
According to the agenda, beyond the infrastructure improvements, the purpose of the project is to “create a sense of place and unique character along East William Street through business investment, public art installations, and attractive landscaping, as well as to establish a gateway to downtown Carson City from US 50 E and the I-580 intersection.”
Acquiring RAISE grant funding for this corridor will build upon Carson City’s downtown revitalization and the recently improved South Carson Complete Streets Project by creating a cohesive and continuous complete streets corridor, the agenda says.
The City last submitted a project application for FY 2017 TIGER (now the rebranded RAISE grant) discretionary grant funding in 2017 and was successful in receiving $7.57 million in funding to complete the South Carson Complete Streets Project.
The complete FY21 RAISE Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity can be found at: https://www.transportation.gov/RAISEgrants/raise-nofo