EPA says plan to widen U.S. 95 could create further problems

Thursday, July 15, 1999 | 10:34 a.m.

The Environmental Protection Agency is criticizing a state plan to widen U.S. 95, saying the proposal could create more traffic jams, air pollution and noise in the fastest-growing area of the valley.

The EPA is urging the Nevada Department of Transportation to consider alternatives such as mass transit or better traffic management to improve traffic flow and protect Las Vegas Valley air quality before widening the freeway.

Instead of tackling the entire widening project in the next five years, the state should take a step-by-step approach, EPA recommended.

The state and the Federal Highway Administration propose to widen U.S. 95 from six lanes to 10 west of Interstate 15 to handle traffic congestion until 2020.

The EPA evaluated the agencies' three alternatives: Widen U.S. 95 to Lake Mead Boulevard by taking out homes on the north side of the freeway, widen to the south through the historical Las Vegas Springs site, or do not widen at all.

None of the three alternatives will help traffic congestion, existing and future air pollution or noise levels, EPA Deputy Director Deanna Wieman wrote in a letter dated July 8.

The Las Vegas Valley violates federal air quality limits for carbon monoxide and dust.

"We question the conclusion that the proposed project will improve air quality and meet intermediate and long-range transportation needs," Wieman said in the letter addressed to Daryl N. James of the NDOT Environmental Services Division in Carson City.

The department will answer EPA's concerns in the final environmental impact statement for the project.

Although Southern Nevada does not exceed ozone levels that create summer smog, the EPA warned that widening U.S. 95 could raise volatile organic compounds from increased vehicle exhaust and add a third pollutant to the area's bad air ranking.

The EPA also objected to the draft environmental impact statement's estimate of noise pollution, noting that noise levels affect older neighborhoods.

"The local community must also address growth in the region," Wieman said. "If growth issues are not resolved, transportation needs of the region will not be met."

The EPA urged the state to look at alternative solutions such as light rail, high-density development and telecommuting, allowing people to live and work in their neighborhoods, rather than join the daily traffic jam.

The EPA said the state's plan contains insufficient information.

Environmentalists were not surprised by the EPA's comments. Robert Hall of the watchdog group Nevada Environmental Coalition said he expected the EPA's reaction.

"We are not opposed to widening U.S. 95," Hall said. "We simply say that the NDOT ignored environmental regulations and that is our concern."

The solution is to build the freeway expansion by following environmental laws that will protect the valley's air, he said.