County pollution plan threatens road construction dollars

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1999 | 10:39 a.m.

Clark County must come up with better pollution reduction plans or federal regulators could force a halt to current road projects.

If county air quality proposals do not receive federal approval several road-widening projects and more than 200 onramps and offramps will not be funded beginning in January 2001, according to Regional Transportation Commission principal planner Jerry Duke.

Without the new projects, commuting times could increase dramatically as thousands of new cars move into the static road system, he said.

Local officials say they are confident Clark County can prepare plans that will be approved by 2001.

But the county's current dust and carbon monoxide reduction plans are not acceptable to the EPA.

The county already missed a May deadline which started 24-month countdown to the withdrawal of federal highway funds for local projects.

But the January 2001 deadline is more immediate deadline and potentially devastating result for Southern Nevada.

Without the federally approved pollution control proposals the RTC cannot produce a new regional transportation plan, a necessity for new road projects.