No news yet on new highway

Greg Harman

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2000 | 9:52 a.m.

Increasing commercial truck traffic passing through Boulder City is expected to bring gridlock to the town of 15,000 by 2016.

And a proposed new bridge across the Colorado River near Hoover Dam could bring that automotive dysfunction even sooner.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is drawing up plans to expand U.S. 93 to avoid that, but Boulder City residents were not any clearer on how a new freeway would affect their businesses or quiet lifestyles after a presentation Tuesday night outlined the agency's alternatives.

Three routes -- one north of Boulder City, one south and one directly through -- are being considered.

Representatives of NDOT and CH2M Hill, a private consulting firm, limited their comments to the progress of public hearings and preliminary studies of the routes.

NDOT project manager Tom Greco sidestepped attempts to get him to reveal the department's preference among the three routes. He said environmental impact studies are being launched. Councilman Bill Smith said he supports a bypass as the "only practical solution" to pending traffic problems in the town.

Councilman Mike Pacini expressed concern that commercial truck traffic may not be restricted to a bypass.

"We can build the road, but unless you stand there and flag them around, there still might be some who come through town," Pacini said, adding that pollution will continue to be a major concern in coming years. If Nevada Highway were chosen to serve as the new route, Greco said, it would need to be expanded into a six-lane road. But any construction would not begin until after 2005.

Neal Siniakin, a commercial properties manager, said the route through town on Nevada Highway was by far the cheapest option -- expected to cost the NDOT about $50 million, compared with $150 million and $250 million for the alternative bypasses.

He expressed doubt that anything but the bottom line would sway the NDOT in its final determination.

"They're going to spend $250 million because 15,000 bumpkins in Boulder City have aesthetic value?" Siniakin said, bemoaning the lack of information provided by the NDOT.

"We should do our own study to find out what's best, not have people arguing in the barbershops."

Greco said $39 million in state funds have already been approved for the project, and he promised to update the city on the NDOT's progress in six months.