CAMPO to review contract for second phase of Highway 50 study

To steer the future of the Highway 50 corridor that connects Carson City and Mound House, members of the Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization will consider Wednesday amending a contract for phase 2 of the U.S. 50 East Carson Complete Streets Study.

CAMPO, which includes members of the Carson City Regional Transportation Commission and representatives from Douglas and Lyon counties, is meeting 4:30 p.m. in the Carson City Community Center board room.

CAMPO members will consider amending a contract with Parametrix Inc. to amend the scope of work and to increase the contract by $179,374 for a new total of $327,590.81. Funded by the Nevada Department of Transportation, the project with Parametrix began last year, and phase 1 of the study was completed in July.

Phase 1 focused on user safety and traffic, including data on vehicle volumes, crashes, land use and other factors.

“Phase 2 will include pedestrian, bicyclist, cultural, historic, landscape, aesthetic, freight, and environmental considerations as well as provide additional data collection and conceptual roadway analysis in the Mound House area,” reads a staff report. “The contract currently allows CAMPO to exercise an option to complete phase 2 for $177,422.21, with the phase 2 scope of work extending beyond Highlands Drive. In the amendment, the scope of work has been revised to reflect comments received on the phase 1 report and extend the study limits from Highlands Drive to State Route 341.

“Due to the revised scope of work, the amendment’s not to exceed amount for phase 2 is $179,374, which is an increase of $1,951.79. CAMPO was awarded a TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) grant from NDOT in August 2024 for a total amount of $180,000 to fund phase 2 of the study. Phase 2 is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2025.”

The subject corridor is part of the main commuting route between Dayton and Carson City. In July, approving phase 1, CAMPO members wanted more specific recommendations in the subsequent phase. As seen this year in public discussions on both sides of the county line, the challenge of future improvements in the corridor is how to address traffic and safety issues as well as economic development needs and different land uses.

“Complete Streets” is a holistic model for transportation planning that calls for pedestrian safety improvements and multimodal pathways, such as found on South Carson Street or the improvements underway on East William Street.

In other action:

• CAMPO members will review a proposed Title VI Plan for both CAMPO and the RTC.

“Title VI plans are required by all local agencies who are recipients of federal funding,” reads a staff report. “The plan has been updated in coordination with NDOT to meet the requirements provided by the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) and NDOT. The plan applies to both CAMPO, as the designated metropolitan planning organization, and the RTC, as a special purpose agency defined by NRS 277A.

“The development of a single plan, covering both CAMPO and RTC, was approved by the FHWA. Funding received from the Federal Transit Administration is covered under a separate Title VI Plan.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

“It is the policy of CAMPO that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any operation of CAMPO as provided by Title VI and related statutes such as the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987,” reads the staff report. “The plan outlines various requirements and actions that CAMPO considers and implements for compliance with Title VI as part of transportation planning program activities, including annual training for staff, complaint and grievance tracking, and various outreach activities.”

The nondiscrimination policy statement at the beginning of the plan says, “This policy applies to all operations of RTC and/or CAMPO, including its contractors and anyone who acts on their behalf. This policy also applies to the operations of any department or agency to which the RTC or CAMPO extends federal financial assistance.”

The RTC, which meets after CAMPO adjourns, will also review the plan, a copy of which can be viewed online: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2840077/5B_CAMPO_Exhibit_1_-_FHWA_Title_VI_Plan_with_Attachments.pdf.