City looks to public for advice on Roop Street expansion options

City transportation officials are encouraging residents to speak up about preferences for proposed designs for Roop Street between Washington Street and Winnie Lane.

Engineers have finished about half of the designs for the project to widen the section of busy thoroughfare to five lanes in some places, said John Flansberg, city transportation manager.

The next step will be to get comments from the public at a workshop set for Thursday.

"Everything looks good," Flansberg said. "This is just one of the steps to get us there. We want to make the design pleasing to everyone."

Transportation commissioners approved the project in July after five months of debate over whether to widen Roop Street or extend Stewart Street. Commissioners decided to do both: widen part of Roop now and extend Stewart sometime in the future.

The current design for Roop Street has five lanes from Washington Street to Beverly Drive and four lanes from Beverly Drive to Winnie Lane near the cemetery. Commissioners set aside $2 million for the Roop improvements.

A handful of Roop Street residents complained about what they thought were safety issues associated with the widening of Roop as commissioners discussed the issue last year. Many also felt the change would lessen property values.

Residents will be asked to make comments Thursday about the designs at Washington Street, John Street and Winnie Lane where they meet Roop, Flansberg said. The options will focus on ways to make the intersections safer, he said.

City staff will gather Thursday's workshop comments and present them to the transportation commission at its regular meeting March 12.

IF YOU GO

What: Roop Street Transportation Project Workshop

When: 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Front lobby of the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St.

Contact: John Flansberg, city transportation manager, 887-2345

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