Downtown corridor still on schedule for completion by Nevada Day

Construction of Carson Street along the downtown corridor is now a little over half way through the project's eight-month timeline and the work remains on pace to be mostly finished by Nevada Day weekend, Carson City Public Works Engineering Manager Daniel Rotter said.

"Generally the project is on pace," he said. "There will be some of the crosswalk pavers that are done into November, but that has been the plan since the start. The paving will be done for sure by Nevada Day and no impediments will be around."

Changes to the streetscape are taking shape as sidewalks are being widened and the street is now essentially narrowed to one lane each way from here on out, per the design of the master plan.

"The sidewalks are done on the west side to Spear Street," Rotter said. "The curb on the east side in that area will come next week so the paving can be completed. The west side sidewalks will continue to ‘lead’ the way as the east side sidewalks ‘trail’."

New landscaping will be added once the warm summer weather has passed so as not to scorch the new trees, he said.

Rotter said at this point in the project, foundational paving of Carson Street has been completed. What's left, he said, is the final top lift of asphalt, starting with the stretch from William to Robinsons streets.

Next week, he said, repaving of the stretch from Robinson to Musser will begin. And by early October, Rotter said the last stretch from Musser to Fifth streets will be paved.

The downtown corridor improvement project continues to operate within budget, Rotter said, despite some unexpected conflicts the construction team has faced.

"We have expended some contingency funds on unexpected conflicts like the Third Street fuel tanks," he said. "But those are within the budgeted contingency."

In spite of all of the orange cones along the construction corridor, Rotter said traffic flow has not been problematic.

"Traffic flow has been very fluid and easy to get through," he said. "Minimal safety issues for a project of this size. A few hiccups here and there, but all small."

Some of the downtown business owners agree. Although the construction zone looks intimidating, it is easier to get through than to navigate some of the side streets off Carson Street.

"It's easier to get around on Carson Street," said Yvette Barrett, owner of Mystique Restaurant and Lounge. "If people would just risk it and try it out there, they'd find it's not so bad."

Robin Shriver, owner of Kaleidescope Antiques Mall, said in an earlier interview with Carson Now that the construction activity can be intimidating to downtown visitors, but the dynamics of the project are moving traffic along.

"People find it an inconvenience to come downtown. I think they're more intimidated than anything else," she said. "I personally don't think it's that hard to get around downtown."

Rotter said those who don't want to deal with the Carson Street construction can utilize other North-South connectors that parallel the state capital's main street.

Curry Street, one block west of Carson Street, and Stewart to the east are established alternatives, Rotter said.

But he also stressed that alternative routes aren't really necessary with the flow of traffic on Carson Street.

"Don’t detour, don’t be scared, come down into the cone zone and support these businesses," he said.

Dan Wilson, owner of Downtown Coin on W. Telegraph, said the crews are maintaining a safe environment for drivers and pedestrians.

"When we need to cross Carson Street and cars aren't stopping, the crews have been very good about stopping traffic," he said. "All in all, I give them an A."

Other downtown business owners agree with Wilson that the construction crews are working hard not only on the project but for the people their work impacts.

Robert Lamkin, owner of Bob's Shell Station, said the crews have been very accommodating and responsive to his business needs.

"I think that these guys are the greatest in the world. They have kept at least one of my drive ways open all along," he said. "When I've asked for business open signs, they've promptly supplied them. They've done just a great job."

Lamkin said because of the efforts of the construction company to maintain easy access to his station, he has not seen any measurable decrease in revenue.

"As of right now, my gross business dollars are the same as they were this time last year," he said. "I'm a tickled camper. Business has been good with no decrease in volume."

But the presence of construction has been an entirely different story for Barrett, whose restaurant opened in December 2015 and now faces the prospect of closing.

"There's a good chance my restaurant won't survive. It's completely died," she said. "I'm still having to put in money every single month to keep this restaurant open."

Barrett said she has seen a substantial loss in business after only the first three months Mystique had been opened, coinciding with the corridor project's March ground breaking.

"We went from 54 lunch customers when we opened to nine people the Tuesday the cones went up," she said. "Everything was doing really well until the orange cones showed up outside."

Barrett reported her sales have dropped 80 percent since corridor construction started. She said she has also had to cut more than half her staff.

Currently, her restaurant is only open for dinner. She said that she had to stop serving lunch because of her staffing cuts and revenue losses.

"We're literally tapped out," she said.

But Barrett said the corridor construction alone isn't to blame for her restaurant's woes this year.

Rather, it has been the combination of simultaneous construction projects going on around the downtown area, she said, and special events that have closed off vehicle access to the restaurant.

"The biggest issue is all of the side street construction and event closures happening at the same time," she said. "So many different projects should not be happening at the same time."

She said her regular customers don't come as often as they used to because of so many side street closures and detours in proximity to her restaurant.

Even the sidewalk in front of her restaurant still isn't done, Barrett said, and she was told that was supposed to be completed by the end of June.

"I was really hoping our sidewalk would be done by then, but it's not," she said. "All of the foot traffic is across the street from us."

The Basil restaurant is located directly across Carson Street from Mystique, and Maitre D' Tee Jay Saputra said business has dropped some during construction, but not to a significant degree.

"The business has been down, but it hasn't been down that much," he said. "Business and foot traffic have been fine."

He said The Basil has invested in additional signage to help patrons find their way to the restaurant, and that strategy has generally worked.

"The only drawback is that the tourists get confused with all the detours," he said.

Saputra said timing has also been a problematic issue. He said he would like improved communication with the city and the construction company so the restaurant can be alerted of any proximal inconveniences impacting its business.

"The only problem is the timing," he said. "If we have a heads up on when things will be affecting our restaurant, then we can take the occasion to do some needed cleaning."

Thankfully, Saputra said, The Basil has enjoyed a lot of support from its established customer base, and that has helped to mitigate any losses due to construction.

"We've had a lot of support from our customers in the community," he said. "The support has been great."

Lu Olsen, executive director of the Northern Nevada Children's Museum at the corner of Carson and Ann streets, also said the contruction zone around the musem has caused confusion and frustration among visitors, resulting in some canceling their plans to visit.

"Visitors do get frustrated, though, with the construction because they don't know when streets are closed and when they are open," she said.

Business this year has been down a little, Olsen said, but the museum has managed to operate self-sufficiently for the last five months.

The biggest hit from the construction, however, is its impact on the museum's annual street sale, an event Olsen said is their largest fundraiser of the year.

She said last year the museum raised $6,500 from the event. But this year, construction around Ann Street -- where the sale is held -- has prevented the sale from taking place.

Large construction equipment is parked in the area where the street sale is held, Olsen said.

But she said instead of making an issue of it, she is reaching out to the community for help in getting the museum through the remainder of 2016.

"Rather than interfere with what they are doing and slowing them down, we are appealing to the community to help get us through the rest of the year," she said.

During the project's early stages, The Bike Smith struggled to provide business access for its customers because not only was the store's main entrance off Carson Street blocked off, but so were Ann and Spear streets, flanking either side.

But since then, both access and business have improved as construction as moved south along Carson Street, The Bike Smith owner Justin Chiazza said.

"I don't see any changes as far as our business goes. Our clientele hasn't changed due to the events that are going on," he said. "The biggest struggle for our customers was figuring out how to access our business."

Chiazza assumed ownership of The Bike Smith in May from Rob Smith, who retired after running the business for 20 years in the same location.

Chiazza said the downtown corridor's finished product will benefit his customers who frequent downtown on their bicycles. It will also make the area safer for potential customers wanting to try out a bicycle from the store, he said.

"One nice thing for us will be test rides for bicycles," he said. "With designated bike lanes, the streets will be safer for our customers."