RENO — The Reno City Council is set to decide today whether the controversial $264 million train trench project lives or dies, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports.
In what is expected to be a marathon meeting, the council can: decide to award a $170.7 million construction contract to Granite Construction; repeat a year-long process and request another set of design-build proposals; or cancel the project.
A public hearing on the contract is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
The 2.1-mile proposed train trench is designed to remove train traffic from the middle of downtown, by lowering the tracks 54 feet below ground. Bridges would be built over the trench, allowing pedestrians and vehicle traffic to freely cross the tracks.
“There has been a lot of work involved for a long time,” Public Works Director Steve Varela said. “The council has continued to move forward with it. Now they are at a point where they can make a decision.”
Trench critics Monday appealed Washoe District Judge James Hardesty’s ruling striking down an initiative petition signed by 15,000 people. Part of the appeal is a motion asking the Nevada Supreme Court to stop the council from signing the contract until a citywide vote can take place.
Chief Deputy City Attorney Randall Edwards accused the group’s director, Mike Tracy, of “playing games” in an effort to stymie the project.
“This is a calculated effort to file at the last minute,” Edwards said. “He has known this vote would take place on July 16 for at least two or three months.”
Tracy said the appeal took time to research. He also said the group had to copy 1,105 pages of appendices to the appeal, which prevented them from filing the request Friday.
“That is a ridiculous, unfounded accusation that I’m sure whoever made it knows is false on its face and in fact,” Tracy said.
The group appealed the decision five days after the Nevada Supreme Court denied an emergency request by critics for the court to compel a public vote.
Edwards said late Monday that no hearing has been scheduled on the motion.
Varela is recommending the council award the contract to Granite, saying the city can afford the project’s $245.6 million budget. That figure does not include the $18.3 million already spent during the four-year planning process.
Granite Construction’s proposal was selected as the “best value” contract because of its low cost and design features that scored highly in the evaluation process. A $248 million proposal by Silver Corridor Construction and a $182 million proposal by Bechtel Infrastructure Corp. were rejected.
Granite reduced its original bid by $9.2 million after the city said all three original proposals were too expensive and modified the project’s requirements, according to a report released Monday. Silver Corridor reduced its original bid by $11.1 million and Bechtel came in $10.6 million lower.