Editorial: Good deal, but it was slow going

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2000 | 10:03 a.m.

The Las Vegas Strip landowners affected by the county's plan to extend Harmon Avenue finally have reached an agreement that they all could live with, a proposal that received the blessing of the Clark County Commission on Tuesday. This thoroughfare extension should help ease congestion somewhat on east-west travel on Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue, because Harmon will cross the Strip and run parallel between these two major roads. It is expected that 65,000 vehicles a day will use the Harmon extension, once it is completed by the end of 2001. In addition, the county reached agreements to permit the extension of Interstate 15 frontage road, Frank Sinatra Drive. Along with Mirage Resorts agreeing to allow this drive to continue north to Industrial Road, the county will eventually link Frank Sinatra Drive from Russell Road to Industrial Road by using unde rpasses at Tropicana, Flamingo and Harmon.

Despite this good news, it is sad that it took two years to reach a deal on these traffic improvements. Granted, any time eminent domain is contemplated, government should exercise caution, making sure that the purpose genuinely benefits the public. But it seemed, at times, that because this project involved some political heavy-hitters, the county constantly was walking on egg shells so that no one would be offended -- an impossible task. At one time or another those potentially impacted included Mirage Resorts, the Aladdin hotel-casino, the Hard Rock hotel-casino and the Harley-Davidson Cafe. Too often egos and self-interest got in the way, instead of people doing what was best for this growing metropolitan area. If this had been a road project anywhere else in the valley, with landowners of modest means being affected, there wouldn't have been these kin ds of delay in making sure that the best route was chosen in a fair, yet expeditious manner.

It is hoped that the delays involving Harmon Avenue's extension aren't indicative of how government and businesses will address some of the other pressing issues confronting this valley, whether it's alleviating additional traffic chokepoints, fighting pollution or addressing quality of life issues. Hard choices will have to be made -- and they could end up alienating powerful interests -- but that is the price that government officials pay when they're elected to public office.