Carson City residents and visitors will be able to access daily and live updates on the downtown corridor project through the city’s website, social media and other resources.
The plan also includes a map showing where there are detours and restricted business access.
Danny Rotter of the city’s public works department said there will be a weekly report coordinated through not only the city website and Chamber of Commerce but the city’s media, including the Nevada Appeal, to keep people abreast of the project’s progress.
The reports and a live update button on the city website will provide information including pedestrian impacts, vehicle restrictions, whether businesses will be open and what their hours will be. Rotter said people will be able to use the live chat function on the city website to leave a message asking a question.
Supervisor Brad Bonkowski said this is a dramatic improvement from the past.
“Having had a business on Highway 50 for 18 years, we used to get a notice from NDOT saying we’re going to shut down the road for three weeks,” he said. “That’s all and basically you’re shut down for three weeks.”
Supervisor Jim Shirk agreed the system will be helpful for businesses adding “its going to be time consuming, though.”
City Manager Nick Marano said questions from area residents don’t have to just be about the downtown corridor project.
“My intention is it’s going to be a one-stop-shop for any question about city government,” Marano said. “If you want to pay a bill on like, how do I reserve a room at the community center — that’s the intent of having that function.”
That chat button on the city homepage, he said, will be staffed during work hours. On the weekend or in the evenings, residents can still leave messages and he and others will be checking periodically.
Rotter said Q&D Construction will hold a ceremony to break ground on the project the week of March 8.
“They may actually break ground and start construction that week too,” he said.
The first phase of the $8.1 million project, he said, will be utility work. When complete, the contractor will repave and redesign Carson Street through the downtown area from William Street to 5th Street. It includes creating a small events plaza at 3rd Street, which is going to be closed between Firkin and Fox and Mom & Pop’s Diner. The street through downtown will be turned into three lanes, one of them a turn lane, instead of four with wider sidewalks, bike lanes, benches, trees and other amenities to make the area more pedestrian friendly.