(The following story by Anjeanette Damon appeared on the Reno Gazette-Journal website on March 26.)
RENO, Nevada — The city of Reno has secured $1 million in federal funds to help build a cover for part of the downtown train trench, but it’s only a fraction of what is needed for the $15 million project.
U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., announced Thursday that the $1 million is part of a transportation bill passed by a House committee.
Proponents of the $282 million train trench have long said a cover is needed for the city to fully take advantage of the economic development opportunities made possible by lowering the tracks through downtown.
The deck could provide open space for parks and plazas throughout downtown or create more land for businesses to develop.
“We’ll use the money to begin some design and engineering work, but that still leaves us some $14 million short,” City Manager Charles McNeely said. “This gets us a step toward where we need to go.”
The city also received $500,000 in federal money last year for the cover, McNeely said.
The city will continue to lobby Nevada’s congressional delegation for more funds, but McNeely said dwindling transportation dollars have made national competition with other projects fierce.
He added that he doesn’t want funds for the trench cover to take money away from any other road or transportation projects happening in Northern Nevada.
“What we fought very hard for is that this will in no way compete with regional infrastructure projects,” he said.
The city plans to cover only three or four blocks of the 2.1-mile trench, McNeely said. Studies determined the entire trench could not be covered without creating wind problems for passengers boarding the Amtrak trains.
Jerry Purdy, a retired engineer who has been advocating for a trench cover since the early stages of the project three years ago, says a deck could turn a concrete scar into a ribbon of useable space.
He has accused the city of failing to aggressively seek federal funds for a cover, but said the $1 million is good news.
“There’s ways of using that money that’s never been discussed,” Purdy said. “These ideas could be real enhancements for the city.”
Purdy recommended the council use the expertise on the city’s advisory committees to help plan where the covers would be most valuable.