Residents have chance to comment on U.S. 95 widening

Jace Radke

Thursday, June 10, 1999 | 11:22 a.m.

Residents had their first chance to express opinions to the Federal Highway Administration Wednesday night on the proposed widening of U.S. 95 from six lanes to 10.

The three-hour public forum at the Clark County Health District opened a month of public comment on the Nevada Department of Transportation's draft environmental impact statement, which lays out the alternatives for expanding the freeway.

"We sent out 26,000 mailings announcing that it was time for the public to share their comments on the project," NDOT spokesman Kent Cooper said.

The mailings helped to keep a steady stream of residents stopping in at Wednesday's forum to look at models of the new freeway and to put their comments on the record.

"The public comment period runs through July 9, and NDOT is required to respond to all comments and make them part of the transcript, that will be sent to the Federal Highway Administration," Cooper said. "The FHA will then decide if the project should go forward or not."

Some residents left the meeting frustrated with the process and complained that no matter what they said the project was going forward.

"It's a federal block bust, and nothing we say is going to matter," said a man, who wanted to remain nameless.

The man is one of many who live along U.S. 95 between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard and who feel trapped by the freeway project.

"When the freeway is expanded, I'll only be one house from it," said Sandra Roof, who lives on Desert View Street south of U.S. 95 just west of Rancho Drive. "It's so loud now that I can't open my windows, so I can only imagine what it will be like when they build this."

Comments like Roof's are what NDOT is looking for, Cooper said.

"We want to know if they want the alternative that takes the freeway through Las Vegas Springs to the south, the alternative to the north or if they don't want it at all," Cooper said. "We're looking for input on sound walls, landscaping and every phase of this project."

Another public comment session will be held from 4 to 7 tonight at Garside Middle School, 300 S. Torrey Pines Drive.