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-News Articles/Editorials/Letters to the Editor-
6/19/2002
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Standing atop the freeway bridge over Emerson Drive, Terrill Ozawa couldn’t help but reach out and pat the concrete. “It’s amazing we’re seeing this come to fruition,” she said. “We’re standing on what we thought would be a figment of our imagination for years to come. ”It ain’t no figment. We’re on it.” Ozawa and roughly 50 others laced up their walking shoes Tuesday and hit the path of what will, someday, be the Carson City freeway. The third annual freeway walk, organized by Carson City Supervisor Robin Williamson, took walkers on a 3.8 mile trek from Ruby Lane in North Carson City over an easterly path that will take the freeway to Highway 50 East. Each of the four bridges is designed to carry two lanes of traffic in each direction., but Freeway Project Manager Jim Gallegos said the freeway was designed to ultimately accommodate six lanes of traffic. The medians between the bridge structures can be filled in easily to allow six lanes. ”We drive under these bridges all the time and we wanted to see it from the top.” Said David Bauer, who walker the freeway with wife, Eva and son, Bryce, 2. Helen and Rudy Moreno have heard talk of the freeway for more than three years. Perusing the view from the top of Arrowhead Drive Bridge, Rudy Moreno joked he now thinks the freeway may be done “before I’m Dead.” It’s very exciting after all these years of waiting.” He said. “To see it coming little by little is very impressive,” his wife added. Lynzie Ruecker and Tommy Parker stopped at the Emerson Drive bridge to admire the view of a meadow in upper Kings Canyon. The pair began paying attention to the freeway issue recently and wanted to be among the first to walk the structures before cars take over. ”We’ve been driving around trying to figure out where it was going to be.” Ruecker said.” I’m going to be here for the rest of my life, and I want to know what my grandchildren will see. It’s going to be really pretty especially with the landscaping. Part. If they didn’t do that, most people wouldn’t appreciate (the freeway) as much.” State and city officials worked with members of Gardeners Reclaiming Our Waysides on a landscaping plan that will see the freeway slopes reclaimed with native vegetation and more decorative landscaping with trees and boulders in the intersections. The bridges were constructed as part of the $15.6 million first phase of the freeway. The design for the next fill, which will fill in the freeway between Lakeview Hill and Highway 50 East , is slatted to be bid in December. It is 95 percent designed and is estimated at $136 million. Gallegos said the state plan to make an offer this month to the Lompa family for land south of Highway 50 essential to the freeway’s construction. Construction is expected to start on the segment from Highway 50 East to the Spooner Summer Junction in 2004 and wrap up between 2008 and 20120. That portion of the project is estimated at $160 million. |
