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-News Articles/Editorials/Letters to the Editor-
1/11/2001
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A group of Carson City workers, area
residents, and federal and state roads
officials have formed a group to cultivate a
landscaping plan for the first phase of the
capital’s freeway. While the groups have been at odds in the past, each with a different idea of what would be best for the 4-mile highway, participants are lauding this group as a positive step toward getting a landscape everyone can be happy with. The group met for the first time Friday. “It’s nice that it is getting very positive, that everyone’s saying we’re going to work together instead of fighting,” said Mary Fischer of Carson City’s Gardeners Reclaiming Our Waysides, or GROW. The first phase of Carson City’s freeway is under construction now. To be completed in 2004 or 2005, the highway will cut a swath through the northeastern section of the capital, running from the bottom of Lakeview Hill down to U.S. 50 East. GROW, city leaders and other residents have long pushed for aesthetic landscaping to cut down on the visual pollution they say the freeway will bring. Fischer said many concerns still exist, such as how to fund the landscaping, but she thinks the multiple-organization group is the way to tackle the issues. “It isn’t that NDOT or anyone else is opposed to landscaping. It’s that there are dollar restrictions, which everyone understands,” Fischer said. “But everyone’s talking, and that’s really good. You don’t get anywhere unless you start with that. It’s very hopeful.” Vern Krahn, Carson City park planner and a group member, said one of the issues that will be worked out is the landscaping design around the interchanges. In the first phase, there are six locations where the highway will either meet or go over other roads, Krahn said. And it is important to make sure those interchanges look as nice as possible. “We’re trying to get the best visual effect to mitigate the freeway,” Krahn said. Susan Martinovich, Nevada Department of Transportation assistant director for engineering, said other issues to be worked out include the slope of the banks next to the freeway and what kind of seed mix will be used along the slopes. “We want to give every chance we can for something to take hold and grow,” Martinovich said. Phase 2 of the freeway will continue the highway from the end of Phase 1 to the southern junction of highways 50 and 395. Work on that 6-mile stretch should begin about 2004 or 2005, with completion slated for 2008 or 2009. |
