TRAFFIC TROUBLES: Worse congestion predicted - News

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Feb. 23, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

TRAFFIC TROUBLES: Worse congestion predicted

Transportation director seeks more funding

By ED VOGEL
©2008 REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

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Nevada Departmentof Transportation congestion video

Cars and trucks whiz through the downtown area on U.S. Highway 95 south of the Spaghetti Bowl on Thursday night in this time-lapse exposure. Nevada transportation officials warn that if more money can't be found to pay for widening this part of the freeway and other heavily used roadways in the Las Vegas Valley, traffic congestion is going to get much worse.
Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Click image for enlargement.
Graphic by Mike Johnson.

CARSON CITY -- Traffic congestion in Las Vegas will become unbearable in the next few years unless the Nevada Legislature finds $450 million more per year for highway construction, state Transportation Director Susan Martinovich said Friday.

"If we don't get the money, we will have to postpone projects," Martinovich said. "Congestion will increase, and congestion will cost you time and money. There are already huge issues in Las Vegas regarding congestion."

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A Reason Foundation study predicted Las Vegas will become the ninth most congested city in the nation by 2030 unless a substantial investment is made in new road construction.

Trips that should take 30 minutes will take 52 minutes that year, according to the study, released in 2006.

Earlier this week, Martinovich told a legislative committee that 15 projects to reduce highway congestion in Clark County, including a $1 billion project to widen U.S. Highway 95 between Interstate 15 and Maryland Parkway, will be delayed unless the additional revenue is found. Nearly 200,000 cars a day now travel on that road.

Both phases of the $1.1 billion Project NEON plan to relieve congestion along I-15 in the Spaghetti Bowl and downtown Las Vegas area also will be delayed.

The highway now carries 260,000 vehicles a day, making it the busiest road in the Las Vegas Valley. The traffic load is predicted to climb to 500,000 vehicles a day in 2030.

Martinovich told legislators that NDOT estimates its unfunded construction needs at $6 billion, compared with the $3.8 billion shortfall the agency discussed during the 2007 Legislature.

With Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons ready to veto any tax increase proposals, legislators and the governor that year approved a $1 billion construction program that used revenue from three existing taxes.

Highway costs have skyrocketed because the costs of construction materials like concrete and asphalt have been increasing more than overall inflation rate.

Nonetheless, Martinovich hopes money will be found during the 2009 legislative session.

"I am going to be optimistic," Martinovich said. "These projects may be delayed, but we are going to design them and be ready to build them when money is available. Transportation projects help the economy. They get people to work and they put people to work."

But legislators of both parties expressed frustration earlier this week about finding any money for roads because of Gibbons' continuing vow to veto all bills that increase taxes.

It would be pointless for legislators to propose taxes for roads during the 2009 Legislature unless they know in advance that the governor will support them, said state Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno.

Legislators might approve taxes for roads over Gibbons' objections, said Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas. He asked the legislators to meet with their colleagues and agree by June 4 on a highway tax plan.

But Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said moves to reach a consensus on a tax for roads would be an "exercise in futility" unless most Republicans say upfront they will vote to override a veto.

She opposes increasing the gasoline tax and building toll roads, but she supports more taxes on the trucking industry, which NDOT studies show does not pay its fair share.

"They (Gibbons administration) seem to think the only way to do it is through toll roads," Titus said. "Paying tolls to use a road is a tax. I want to tax trucking and the governor doesn't. A tax on trucking just would level the playing field."

Analyses show the trucking industry contributes about $300 million a year less in taxes and fees to NDOT than the road damage caused by trucks.

But Gibbons maintained in an interview in the fall that he objects to taxing truckers more since any increase would be passed on to consumers.

Martinovich said her agency's top priority remains I-15, but NDOT now is struggling to carry out maintenance, bridge and safety projects with its current revenues.

Without the additional funds, she said NDOT can construct only one major new project a year -- not the 20 around the state that the agency has identified are needed.

The entire $450 million annual increase would not be needed initially. Her analysis shows legislators must find about $80 million a year in additional revenue during the 2009 session. That amount would increase to $350 million in the 2011 session and to more than $450 million in 2016.

Construction on the U.S. 95 project in downtown Las Vegas was scheduled to start in 2011, according to Martinovich, but work will be delayed until a funding source is found.

The initial $655 million phase of Project NEON would begin in 2010, while the second $465 million phase was slated to start in 2011.

Project NEON would widen I-15 to 16 lanes at the Spaghetti Bowl, including up to 12 express lanes to carry traffic through downtown.

A connector road would be built over I-15 that would link Martin Luther King Boulevard to Industrial Road. A flyover ramp would link Oakey Boulevard and Wyoming Avenue over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or (775) 687-3901.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. j wrote on February 24, 2008 12:38 AM: This town is the worst as far as traffic goes. Add to that, the worst drivers ever, and poor to none urban planning. How to improve? Look at this town from a resident point of view instead of constantly making it a tourist town. j wrote on February 24, 2008 12:38 AM: This town is the worst as far as traffic goes. Add to that, the worst drivers ever, and poor to none urban planning. How to improve? Look at this town from a resident point of view instead of constantly making it a tourist town. Anthony wrote on February 24, 2008 12:09 AM: A buddy of mine tried to take CAT from Summerlin to UNLV 3 times a week. It took THREE hours each way. He'd always ask me what my schedule was and try to bum a ride when he could (I didn't mind since he was a good friend). The immediate issue with subways is that people think it'll end up like LA's subway system and that it would cost something on the order of $10B if not more. There is enough blame to go around... The city and county officials who rubber stamp development without forcing developers to build adequate roads to and from the development. Incompetent "intelligent transportation" officials who manually manage signal timing (its the 21st century, write an algorithm and connect the signals together via wireless). NDOT poorly prioritizing projects and money: -During the 80s and 90s project managers from Reno and Carson City would brag that they'd hadn't been down to Las Vegas to check on projects in years. -Instead of making Blue Diamond Highway (SR 160) a grade separated highway with interchanges at the 15/Dean Martin, Decatur, Rainbow, Buffalo, Durango, etc etc, they made it a normal road with traffic lights every mile and eventually, half mile. Making everyone coming in from Parumph take Durango north to get on the 215 to get into town instead of stopping for every light... jl wrote on February 24, 2008 12:07 AM: Mark, shut up. You're a broken record. The illegal immigrants are not the problem when it comes to the inadequate highways and zero public transportation in this city. The reasons are poor planning and the refusal of the public to accept real public transportation, a light rail system. NIMBY. Just push it through already and let them live with it. mark wrote on February 23, 2008 07:11 PM: Why don't we enforce our immigration laws? That's where the bulk of our population growth comes from. Illegal aliens and their anchor babies. People raved about the empty freeways in LA when the Mexicans took May 5th off. Brad wrote on February 23, 2008 02:32 PM: As far as mass transit the idea is great, but on one is going to ride a bus that stops every 50 feet when they have to get to work by a certain time. Let one set of buses be dedicated to tourists and the gamblers,that enjoy hopping from casino to casino and the other set for the ones that actually have business on or around the strip or downtown. Until this town actually takes traffic and four dollar a gallon gasoline seriously, we are going to have nothing but the same old same old. But the political machine/casino bosses don't take this seriously at all..They are only concerned about slot machines being occupied and rooms reserved. Their thinking is to hell with traffic..They will get disgusted enough and spend cash at our machines... Kansasredlegs wrote on February 23, 2008 11:32 AM: State and local governments never seem get it. Just keep widening the roads, that's the answer. The answer is effecient, punctual, readily available and aesthetically pleasing mass transit. The solution to Las Vegas was provided bu Mr. Bill Flangas in 1995. However, as usual, no forethought by the supposed leaders. The answer to Las Vegas' Traffic Congestion can be found in the LRJ's archives. Date: November 29, 2005 Author: John L. Smith Part of story follows: Subway made more sense than monorail three decades ago, and it still does Bill Flangas knows his holes in the ground. As a mining engineer at the Nevada Test Site, Flangas spent many of his 37 years at Mercury measuring and drilling the amazing tunnels used for underground atomic bomb testing. He has a professional's appreciation of high-tech boring machines, the sort capable of safely carving through hundreds of feet of earth a day without disturbing activity on the surface. Now 78 and retired, Flangas is a lot like one of those great digging.... For the rest of the story go to archives. sick of it wrote on February 23, 2008 11:28 AM: If there are so many people coming into this town why is the housing marketing so bad???? STOP THE BUILDING NOW! Mamamia wrote on February 23, 2008 11:26 AM: Nevadans would do well to check into the facts about expenditures by our state leaders and demand a reliable accounting for all spending. One way this state could earn more money is to force illegals to pay huge fines and continue to fine them until they apply for legal citizenship, and grant it to those who learn English and pass a police record check. Think on it! adam wrote on February 23, 2008 11:12 AM: Maybe they shouldn't have killed the las vegas LIGHTRAIL proposal. Check out http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/mpo/documents/pdf/devplan/ At a minimum read the recommendations http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/mpo/documents/pdf/devplan/Part%203%20of%204-Ch%205-6.pdf Anybody remember the lightrail idea from 2-3 years ago? Of course not, no one was concerned about future commuting issues. Your mass transit planners decided against a study which suggested otherwise. It seemed that the influential were too concerned about poor people riding a mass transit through their Henderson backyards than solving future commuting problems. But don't cry, instead we get these high tech "Max" buses (very expensive and don't call them buses please). Anyone one who studies who currently tends to use busing in LV will agree that those who are more likely to ride are those who are primarily very poor and who can not afford a car. People will not give up their car in Vegas in order to use the bus system for mass transit. Especially true at night and in the summer. Remember we are a 24 hour town and summer it often gets 110-120 out in the sun waiting. Someday, most likely in about 10 years Vegas will have to build lightrail system, there will be no other options. We have decided to delay the costs. It may be too late then because Vegas may no longer be a comptitive city other than for low wages. How about CARPOOL lanes on all parts of all freeways. Of course, ths will never happpen either. Also, I have always been an avid biker, Las Vegas is the only city I have every lived in where I didn't feel safe enough to ride my bike. And previously I had been commuting to work on a bike for +15 years. "Poor planning brings a bleak outlook for mass transit issues in LV in the next 15 years" Read All Comments