The East William Complete Streets Project has been in the works for most of this decade following the successful completion of the downtown, Curry and South Carson Streets projects.
However, the East William project is a more significant undertaking; not only due to the beautification and traffic changes, but also because they are replacing the aging utilities along the corridor — both above and below ground.
“The East William Street Complete Streets Project is progressing well, and the contractor is on track to meet their original schedule,” said City Engineer Darren Anderson. “The overall milder winter we have had so far has allowed them to make good progress through the winter months, which is not always the case for projects that span winter months.”
The primary mission of the project is to modernize and adapt what once served as a busy state highway (and long before that: a railroad route) into a corridor that accommodates all road users rather than simply prioritizing high-speed vehicle traffic alone.
The secondary mission, which also helped in sourcing funding for the project, is to replace and upgrade the aging infrastructure all in a single “dig once” approach, which tackles water, sewer and storm drains before refinishing the surface.
Over 40% of the project is underground, which is why residents will have likely seen so much construction, large trucks and dirt moving along the sides of William Street between Carson and Saliman these past several months.
“One of the bigger challenges we have been dealing with is replacing all of the old underground utility lines between Carson and Roop while still maintaining traffic flow and access to businesses,” Anderson said. “For projects like these, we always have to balance restricting the contractor’s workspace, which can lengthen the construction period, with providing more space to work more efficiently and quickly.”
He said that soon, the public will begin to see sidewalks installed, overhead power lines removed, and additional surface improvements constructed.
Funding is coming from multiple sources including federal grants and funds, but the majority is coming from the 1/8% sales tax that voters approved in 2014 specifically to fund corridor improvements.
“We appreciate the patience of the traveling public and businesses along the William Street corridor as the project is constructed,” Anderson said. “We understand that getting around Carson in the William Street area is more challenging at this time, and we look forward to being able to open up the corridor once the project is complete with all of the complete streets, utility upgrades, and beautification improvements in place.”
Roadway and traffic changes
At completion of the project, the public should expect similar improvements as seen on S. Carson Street.
“East William Street is a gateway to the downtown Carson area, and the improvements along East William Street will reflect a transition from Highway 50 to the east to the downtown Carson theme and streetscape improvements to the west,” Anderson said.
The biggest change will be to the roadway itself, as travel lanes will be reduced from their current 12-14 feet wide to 11 feet to “naturally slow traffic speeds” according to a 2023 community meeting where city engineers and staff presented the project.
In addition, from North Carson Street to Stewart Street, the road will be reduced from two eastbound lanes to one to make room for wider sidewalks and landscaping.
Take a look at the designs over time — the most recent being the 90% design phase:
Initial design presentation
60% Design Mockups
90% Design Mockups
“Buffered” bike lanes will be added throughout the corridor, which means the bike lanes will be separated from vehicle traffic by a three-foot buffer zone.
In the same vein, sidewalks will be widened or added in areas where there are none currently, and improving the multi-use path near Mills Park.
New medians will be installed to restrict dangerous left turns across multiple lanes, increase traffic calming and provide a pedestrian “refuge” where crosswalks are installed.
The 35 mph zone will be shifted further east to slow traffic entering Carson City from the freeway.
However, due to budget limitations and federal grant requirements (which makes up roughly $11.3 million of the project’s funding) certain high-cost requests like a pedestrian bridge or a roundabout were deemed unfeasible for the project, according to staff during the 2023 meeting.
Specific intersections:
Saliman Street: The westbound right-turn lane will be removed and the left-turn lane will be extended to address traffic backing up.
North Carson to Stewart: A traffic-calming median will be installed with dedicated turn lanes (where applicable).
Mills Park: A new crosswalk with flashers will be installed and parking will be expanded with EV charging stations.
In addition to the Complete Streets updates near Mills Park, the park itself will also be getting its own revamp in the next few years:
Mills Park Master Plan
In 2023, the Mills Park Master Plan was also approved by the Carson City Board of Supervisors, which proposes sweeping changes to the 53-acre park that runs alongside the E. William Complete Street project.
In late 2024, the city landed a grant for $14.9 million through the Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) to fund the large-scale project of one of Carson City’s oldest parks.
Some of the proposed additions include:
- Basketball court
- Skatepark expansion
- Off-leash dog park, with separate sections for large and small dogs
- Fitness loop with three exercise stations
- A new playground (purported to become the largest in the city)
- Splash Park
- Concession Plaza
According to Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space Director Jennifer Budge, the city is still waiting for the funding agreement for the grant. Once the Board of Supervisors accepts the agreement (which will hopefully be coming this winter or spring), the official design process will begin.
Construction on the park is anticipated to begin in 2027.
To keep up to date on the large scale projects happening in Carson City, visit the Carson Proud home page.
