While Carson City appears to be getting all of a bypass, it's getting only half of a biking and hiking path.
We should take both and be happy. At least, that's the feeling we get from last week's agreement among Carson, Washoe and state officials.
First, the bypass. Enough numbers got juggled to allow officials to say both the Carson bypass's second phase and the I-580 project through southern Washoe County can get under way and won't be "in competition with each other."
Some argued that they never were in competition with each other, and wondered aloud why the folks in Carson City were getting so riled up.
Well, excuse us.
Apparently we got a little confused when the Nevada Department of Transportation said there just didn't seem to be enough money to do all the projects in the state.
And apparently we got a little confused four years ago when city officials asked us to cough up a nickel for every gallon of gas in order to help us get a bypass built, because NDOT just didn't seem to have enough money to do all the highway projects in the state.
And apparently we were a little confused a couple of months ago when Gov. Kenny Guinn said, "We need to find out before we come back in September which is the number one priority for the interconnected community from Mount Rose to Spooner Summit. We don't have enough money to do all the projects. We can't make everyone happy. I'm smart enough to think we don't have the money to do both. "
As far as we know, all state highway projects are in competition because there isn't an unlimited supply of money, as the governor says. What they really mean is, we shouldn't be talking like they're in competition because it might give somebody in Southern Nevada ideas.
Now, for the biking and hiking path. We're happy to see Carson City will get a path on the northern leg of the bypass, and there are good reasons why it couldn't follow the freeway through the southern half, where the route goes below grade.
Nevertheless, it seems like we're being asked to settle for the barest of minimums from NDOT, even though residents realize that this freeway will dominate Carson City's landscape forever. Shouldn't we do it right the first time?
