Freeway widening project still waiting on federal OK

Jace Radke

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 11:10 a.m.

Transportation officials were prepared to answer a wide range of questions from citizens on the widening of U.S. 95 from six lanes to 10 at a Citizens Review Committee meeting Wednesday night.

But there was only one question on residents' minds: When will construction begin between Decatur and Martin Luther King boulevards?

The answer: Sooner than the last time you asked.

A firm timetable for the Nevada Department of Transportation to begin acquiring right-of-way land for the new lanes is getting closer to becoming a reality, NDOT consultant Roger Patton told residents.

"We are waiting for the draft report of the environmental impact study to be approved by the Federal Highway Administration," Patton said. "That approval could be just days away." At that point, NDOT officials start the countdown.

First, the report goes to a printer to be made public. Thirty days later, the department will hold a public hearing, then work with the highway administration to get a final version passed by fall.

Only after the highway administration makes an official decision does the federal money become available and then the nitty-gritty work of buying property and putting out contracts can start.