Carson City marks new era for Carson Street with ribbon cutting

Amidst March snow flakes, officials from Carson City and Q&D Construction dug their shovels into a dirt mound at the intersection of Third and Carson streets nearly eight months ago to break ground on the Downtown Corridor Improvement Project.

Glistening from rain earlier Friday morning, the finished product was unveiled in front of hundreds at a formal ribbon cutting ceremony held in front of the Nevada State Capitol, featuring many of the people who helped to break ground earlier this year.

"As a tribute to Carson City, the rain has actually stopped for this occasion,” said Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell.

“The greatest asset is standing right in front of me. The residents of Carson City who helped to make this happen,” said Crowell.

Following several months of construction that involved replacing underground utilities and creating a whole new streetscape, the $11 million dollar project finished on time and within budget, Carson City Public Works Engineering Manager Daniel Rotter said, meeting the city’s goal of completion by Nevada Day.

“I think the words are ‘if you build it, they will come' and here you are,” said Nevada Sen. Dean Heller who attended the ceremony.

The brand-new downtown Carson Street corridor was paid for, in part, by the one-eighth percent sales tax increase approved by the Carson City Board of Supervisors in late 2014, as well as with money from the city’s redevelopment fund, and from existing utility funds.

Corridor construction, which began immediately after the March 7 groundbreaking, included Carson Street from William to Fifth streets, as well as Third Street from Carson to Curry streets.

Third Street was closed to vehicle traffic permanently between Carson and Curry, making way for the Bob McFadden Plaza, a pedestrian-only space that opened with a ribbon-cutting of its own back on July 31.

“I want you to know that the downtown is open for business,” said Mike Riggs, president of the Downtown Carson City Business Association.

Features of the new downtown Carson Street corridor include one lane of traffic in each direction, a center turn lane, bicycle lanes on each side of the street, shorter cross walks, wider sidewalks, new landscaping, and masonry work.

A chief focus of the project from the very beginning was to make the downtown section of Carson Street safer for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, Rotter said.

Crosswalks on Carson Street are now 40 feet wide instead of 65 feet, while bicycles now have their own designated traffic lanes running both north and southbound.

Sidewalks, too, are as much as 20 feet wide now in places along the corridor.

The street’s open house continues throughout the day. Bands will be playing at Arlington Square, the Bike Smith and McFadden Plaza.

Muscle Powered, the organization dedicated to creating a walkable and bikeable city, is hosting activities on the north end, with businesses hosting open houses in between. Participants can pick up a passport booklet from any participating business to be stamped by each one they enter. For every stamp they get, they will receive a raffle ticket. Businesses that are members of the Downtown Business Association are worth two stamps.

Booklets will be collected at the Downtown Business Association’s booth in Arlington Square, where the drawing will take place 5:30-6 p.m.

Prizes include a $1,000 diamond necklace from Carson Jewelry and Loan, five beach cruisers from Bike Smith, along with many others.

“This open house will help to showcase our local, small businesses,” Riggs said. “That, in turn, helps our economy.”
Riggs encouraged participants to stay downtown after the open house for either the Blinky Man ride 6:30 p.m. starting in McFadden Plaza or “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 8 p.m. in the Brewery Arts Center.

He said the downtown project, which included the narrowing of Carson Street and widening of sidewalks, should help the overall atmosphere.

“Downtown Carson City has always been a gathering place for our locals to get together on a Friday night or Saturday,” he said. “This should expand that to make it a fun, easy-to-get-to place to shop, have a bite to eat or visit local pubs any time of the day or day of the week.”

Go to downtowncarson.org for a complete schedule or for more information.