Millions saved by Roop Street construction delay; project unveiled to Carson City motorists Thursday
Submitted by editor on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 12:33am
Well worth the wait and tremendous cost savings to taxpayers, the Roop Street road construction project in Carson City will be celebrated on Thursday, Dec. 16 with a ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony.
After nearly a year's worth of "road closed" signs accompanied by a few already-late-for-work-motorists with finger-gesture and other anger management-related issues, the $4.1 million reconstruction and widening project will permanently reopen following the public ceremony at the corner of William and Corbett streets.
The project — paid for with regional transportation and utility taxes — has been in the works for years, originally planned for construction in 2005 at a cost of around $7 million. However plans were temporarily shelved as the city assessed and paid for other pressing needs. As Carson City Transportation Manager Pat Pittenger explained earlier this year, the wait was well worth it because road construction costs have plummeted by roughly 40 percent since the original project was then-considered for bids.
“While the construction process can be difficult at times, we’re very pleased that we could complete the project during challenging economic conditions, as contractors were able to retain many employees to conduct the work and taxpayers benefitted from the favorable bidding climate,” he said.
The project was expansive but the end result will be for better roads, parking, utility and bike lane accessibility, Project Manager and City Engineer Jeff Sharp.
“We really appreciate the patience of the travelling public and property owners in the project area," Sharp said. "We realize that the reduced access inconvenienced property owners such as the businesses on Corbett Street, and we’re happy to reopen the road and provide better access than ever.”
While the primary improvement is the road having two through lanes in each direction, many additional improvements were made including:
— Traffic signal upgrades at William Street and Long street
— Sidewalk and bicycle lanes
— Bus stop improvements, including pull-outs and shelters near the library and community center. Also the parking lot at the library was reconstructed.
— Energy-efficient LED streetlights were added, some utility poles were removed and upgrades were made among numerous underground utility areas.
— Safety improvements were made at two previously hazardous locations – the intersections of North Roop Street, Washington and John streets.
— Long Street was reconstructed between North Roop and North Stewart street.
To access the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m., attendees should park on John or Corbett streets because North Roop will remain closed until the ceremony is over and road barriers removed.
The JAC transit service will resume service on its regular published routes beginning Friday, Dec. 17.
