Curry Street opening celebrated in time for Nevada Day

Curry Street is open again.

At least two hundred people came out for a ribbon-cutting to mark the end of the six-month, $3.99 million construction project to redo a downtown portion of the street.

Many were there to start the Nevada Day celebration, which kicked off immediately afterward with the Passport to Downtown event put on by the Downtown Business Association (DBA).

“I want to thank the city for having the vision to create all this,” said Mike Riggs, DBA president.

Mayor Bob Crowell talked about opening his first law office at the corner of Telegraph and Carson streets, and then moving it because no one wanted to venture downtown 35 years ago.

Now, he said, he and his wife drive down Carson Street and saw a couple walking, holding hands, stopping to embrace and kiss.

“People feel comfortable to come downtown and enjoy life,” said Crowell. “The best thing about Carson City is its people.”

Crowell and others thanked Carson City Public Works and Q & D Construction, the contractor on the project, who had two Nevada Day deadlines to meet.

The first was when Q&D constructed the Carson Street project in 2016, which, like Curry Street, replaced water and sewer lines, widened sidewalks, repaved the road, and added landscaping.

Jeff Bean, vice president, Q&D, said Curry Street was a more difficult project because of the space constraints.

“It was a great project and I ask for your patience as we have a little to finish up until we’re out of here for good,” said Bean.

Dan Stucky, city engineer, said among a few things left to do were install archways on the alleyway off Telegraph street.

The project included Curry Street between Robinson and Musser streets and one block between Carson and Curry streets on each of those five side streets.

Stucky said he gets calls for information and tours from Reno, South Lake Tahoe, and Truckee, where similar downtown projects are underway.

“I feel we’ve started kind of a movement,” said Stucky. “It’s been the highlight of my career.”

On the corner, Lumos & Associates was holding an open house for its new offices in the building at 308 Curry St., and The Martin Hotel had its doors open, but wasn’t yet open for business.

The new Basque restaurant had planned to be operating by Nevada Day, but is still waiting on delivery of some equipment and hopes to open next week.