BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The 100 percent design of the Austin Loneliest Highway Visitor Center is scheduled to be unveiled to potential bidders and the public at an Aug. 3 meeting at the Austin Town Hall. The time of the meeting is slated to be announced sometime this week.
The design was submitted to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) the week of July 2. The agency is waiting on one additional document, but the project has been cleared to proceed ahead, said Lander County Executive Director Gene Etcheverry.
The center includes a courtyard, informational kiosks, restrooms, bench seating, picnic tables and interpretive panels.
An obelisk is included as an alternative depending on the bids, said Etcheverry. The interpretive panels will either be secured to the front facing walls of the restroom or to the obelisk if it is included.
There will be four raised planter beds with perennials and shade trees. Hardy plants that will survive in Austin will be selected.
The bid specs have already been submitted to NDOT and it is scheduled to be out to bid by Aug. 15.
The groundbreaking is hopefully slated for some time in September, said Etcheverry. Construction is scheduled to take around four to six months.
"It is hoped that the project will, at this point, move along smoothly, according to the established project timeline," said Etcheverry.
The total estimated budget of the project is $753,865 with 95 percent of those funds, $716,422, coming from a grant through the Federal Highway Administration. The rest of the funding, $37,443, will come from the county and through NDOT's value in services provided.
So far, $158,000 has been spent on the project and $100,000 has been reimbursed to the county. A further reimbursement will be received shortly, said Etcheverry.
More funding was received to cover construction costs for the center. The project exceeded around $100,000 in construction costs and was approved for an extra $100,000 by the director of NDOT.
The project team includes Cynthia Albright, with Stantec Consulting, Dora Blossom, with Shaw Engineering, and Etcheverry. Stantec Consulting has been handling the design and environmental engineering aspects of the project.
The new center will be located on Main Street on ground once occupied by the old Austin Hotel, which burned down more than 30 years ago, said Etcheverry.
The aim for the center is to attract the many visitors that travel through Austin to stop and explore what the town has to offer.
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