Interstate 11 vote breathtaking for supporters
Southern Nevada leaders and those whose job it is to move traffic efficiently say the designation of Interstate 11 in the federal transportation bill is a tremendous victory, even if it’s not clear that Boulder City residents support a proposed bypass.
The bill doesn’t directly allocate money for the I-11 project, which includes a loop around the small town that ultimately connects to the Hoover Dam bypass bridge, but it opens all sorts of doors for future funding.
Some townspeople have expressed concerns that the tiny antique shops and charming restaurants in Boulder City will wither away because travelers might choose to take the toll road to expedite their trip.
But Boulder City is an established community with history, and it’s my guess that visitors will still stop by and continue along U.S. Highway 93 to take a look at Hoover Dam. Anyone who’s dead-set on getting to their southern destination quickly already turns left toward the bridge before hitting the shopping corridor.
Besides, according to Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler, Mexico is building more ports and that will translate into additional big-rigs traveling through Boulder City on their way north. Right now, he said, six or seven trucks back up traffic at the signal where Highway 93 veers away from the city; the new ports will triple the number of tractor-trailers, blocking access to businesses all day long.
“We have to look at what’s best for the whole city,” said Tobler, who said there will be a more aggressive effort to market everything Boulder City has to offer.
About 92 percent of Nevada’s goods arrive by truck, so having an efficient interstate that stretches from the border of Mexico to Canada is important to our economy.
Transportation officials watched anxiously as Senate and House members stripped the bill of certain projects and tried to sneak in others. At one point, there was talk that Republicans would take a shot at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., by bouncing his I-11 initiative from the final bill.
When the term filibuster was tossed around, transportation leaders began shifting in their seats.
It wasn’t only I-11 on the table for Nevada. Other projects were also at stake.
In one of the economically hardest hit states in the country, imagine if the $351.7 million the bill delivered in highway funds went poof into the air. That is what Nevada will receive in 2013; the two-year initiative promises the state $354.7 million the following year.
As far as transit services, approval of the bill means Nevada will receive $48.2 million this year and $48.9 million in 2014.
The Regional Transportation Commission still faces a budget gap of about $8 million even though sales tax revenues are creeping up, which is good news for the agency. Still the commission relies on federal funding to buy new coaches and to build transit centers and bus shelters.
The transit agency was fearful it would have to dip into its reserves to maintain existing services and delay planned projects.
In peril were the $1.75 million grant the transportation commission received for improvements to its bus maintenance yard in North Las Vegas, $3 million in grants to continue to install solar-powered shelters and the construction of a new transit center planned for the UNLV campus.
It also would have had to put off improvements to the South Strip Transfer Terminal, $5 million to carry on with its mission to introduce additional “complete streets” which include wider landscaped sidewalks for pedestrians and designated lanes for bicyclists. The commission also would have trouble paying for new paratransit and fixed-route vehicles, purchases that amount to $13.7 million.
The Nevada Department of Transportation was on edge as well.
I picture all these administrators huddled around the television like President Barack Obama during the Osama bin Laden raid. They were hoping and praying that nothing would go awry that would freeze transportation funding and strip some states from fuel tax revenues.
For the state department, the most important piece of the legislation was Interstate 11. It already has spent millions trying to mitigate the bottleneck caused by the opening of a four-lane bypass bridge that fed directly into a two-lane highway.
The bill allows the agency to begin studies on the exact footprint of the interstate. The Regional Transportation Commission is already studying the feasibility of a public-private partnership toll road, and those results are expected in the spring of 2013.
Other than the interstate designation, the most significant local project threatened by a potential stalemate would have been the Cactus Avenue interchange in the southern edge of the Las Vegas Valley.
The price tag on that interchange, which will convert Cactus into a six-way corridor across Interstate 15 between Dean Martin Drive and Las Vegas Boulevard hovers between $60 million and $80 million. The road will also include freeway access and ramps to and from the freeway.
Those who don’t live around Cactus are probably wondering why an interchange is needed. While there are pockets of its rural past, it certainly is no longer empty desert dotted by old ranch homes.
Residents in Southern Highlands and other neighborhoods travel to Silverado Ranch Boulevard, where ramps have become congested, even though that overpass is relatively new compared to others that cross Interstate 15.
Groundbreaking on that project should occur this year and the interchange is expected to open in 2014.
See? It’s easy to understand why transportation leaders were sweating a bit. Not only was the bill critical in creating construction jobs, but it was vital to improving our highway systems to we can all move around the Las Vegas Valley – or even between Canada and Mexico if we wish – a lot easier.
If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at 702-387-2904, or send an email to roadwarrior
@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.
Also, you can follow her on Twitter @RJ_RoadWarrior.
■ Through early July, expect delays on Hualapai Way between Anasazi Drive and Town Center Drive and between Charleston Boulevard and Town Center Drive for a landscaping project.
■ Through mid-July, expect delays on Valley View Boulevard between U.S. Highway 95 and Desert Inn Road.
■ Expect delays on Oakey Boulevard between Rancho and Decatur boulevards through the summer as storm drain work continues.
■ Cashman Drive is closed at Oakey Boulevard through Aug. 2 for storm drain work.
■ Through July 13, Clark Avenue between 6th Street and Las Vegas Boulevard downtown is closed for building construction.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average price of gasoline in the Las Vegas Valley on Friday was $3.50 per gallon; the current state average is $3.54; the national average is $3.89.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
