Tribune/Dan McGee - If the City of Sparks and NDOT can agree on the funding, this desolate parcel at the corner of Pyramid Way and Victoria Boulevard will be landscaped. It's been an empty patch of ground since the new I-80 interchange was built.
On Monday, the Sparks City Council approved its share of $680,360 in funding for landscaping and local art exhibits on the southwest and southeast corners of Pyramid Way and Victorian Avenue, next to I-80.
The city will be responsible for $340,180, which is half of the estimated cost. However, they will also have to cover any costs that might exceed that estimate along with future maintenance. Sparks’ share of the funding would not come from the general fund, according to city officials. Rather, the funding would come from enterprise fees, gas and electric and fuel tax revenues.
According to NDOT spokesman Scott Magruder, construction could begin sometime this summer. However, according to city of Sparks Capital Projects Manager Chris Cobb, the construction start date is still more than nine months in the future. The contract between the department and the city states that the work must be complete by the end of 2011.
Similar projects take about three months to complete, Magruder said.
The project will look very similar to the strip of land on the southeast end of Pyramid Way, near the proposed east project site, Cobb said.
According to his presentation, the landscaping would be designed around northern Nevada themes, which have yet to be decided on and would not be water intensive.
The project would coincide with NDOT’s planned construction on Pyramid Way between C Street and McCarran Boulevard.
That construction would begin in July and will include adding a raised median between C Street and Prater Way. The project would also permanently eliminate all street parking on that stretch of road as well as the possibility of a full bike lane.
The bulk of the construction would happen at night, Magruder said, with “marathon” construction happening at the various major intersections along Pyramid.
“We would have to go in and close the intersections,” Magruder said. “Doing so would be the entire 24 hours ... but it is much easier than working around traffic, so instead of a six-month project it will be a three-month (project).”
Magruder said that the project would improve pedestrian safety and traffic flow in the area, specifically referring to the high pedestrian volume that the southern portion of Pyramid Way experiences throughout the summer.
The landscaping project, however, would have a minimal effect on traffic in the area.
“When they do the landscaping it means very minor delays because it is on the shoulder,” Magruder said. “They might close the lane here and there … but nothing major.”
The parcels are owned by NDOT, however they would be maintained by the city.
What's next; a city airplane?