Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Clearing the way?

Tuesday, July 18, 2000 | 9:44 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

It beats the Pony Express.

Not long ago, I wrote a column about the traffic jam from here to Los Angeles every Sunday afternoon. I couldn't see why our millions of visitors from Southern California would continue to make the four-hour car trip in eight hours when they have and will soon have more alternatives to Las Vegas.

It didn't take long for the president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Manny Cortez, to write me a letter explaining what has been done to alleviate this unbearable situation. His letter reached me through the U.S. mail, I suspect, before some of our guests manage to make the 280-mile journey home in their automobiles.

No, the U.S. Postal Service, as good as it may be, has not dramatically increased its delivery speed. It is just that the solution to moving traffic to and from Las Vegas from Southern California has moved slower than it should. But according to Manny's letter, it has moved somewhere and I believe Las Vegans should have the benefit of that information.

I am reprinting Manny's letter so that our readers can better understand what has been done and determine for themselves the extent to which they, as citizens, can help officials move even faster toward an appropriate solution.

His letter follows but my comments won't, other than to say that the effort sounds good but it still sounds slow. Especially if you are one of the people stuck in the traffic jam from here to California:

"The following are my comments and thoughts regarding your 'Where I Stand' column dated July 11, 2000. I wholeheartedly agree with the issues you raised and my intent is not to criticize but rather to inform you of the solutions that have been planned and implemented by the business and governmental sectors over the past decade.

"For Southern Californians heading home, weekend traffic along Interstate 15 can be a slow and painful process. The scenario you described is all too familiar: tens of thousands of cars clogging I-15, turning what should be a four-hour drive into an eight-hour nightmare. Certainly, this is not good for those traveling and not good for Las Vegas.

"It is not fair to say that the resort properties, elected officials and agencies have not been keenly aware and active in their support of projects to relieve congestion on I-15. We all realize that 85 percent of Nevada's goods are brought into the state along this artery, and 25 percent of the visitors to Las Vegas come from Southern California, and the vast majority of them drive.

"The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Nevada Resort Association (Las Vegas Parties) have taken a leadership role in lobbying at both the state and federal levels for funds to add the necessary infrastructure. The Las Vegas Parties, as you recall, was the entity largely responsible for lobbying international nonstop scheduled flights into McCarran International Airport (i.e., Virgin Atlantic, Condor, Japan Air Lines, Northwest, and most recently Aero Mexico and Air Canada).

"The major bottleneck at the Barstow Interchange of I-40 and I-15 was recently alleviated. This $600 million project was jointly funded by the state of California, the United States Congress and the state of Nevada. Truck-climbing lanes located at a few of the steepest southbound grades have also been completed.

"The total cost of adding one lane to I-15 in each direction is estimated at about $1.3 billion. The good news is that we've already helped to secure $320 million of the necessary funds: $24 million from Congress, $10 million from Nevada and $286 million from California.

"Projects currently underway include widening I-15 to three lanes northbound from Primm to I-215. Phase one, which will be completed this fall, adds two lanes from Sloan to I-215. The second phase, which will be completed in early 2001, is a $10.8 million truck-climbing lane that travels southbound from Sloan for 5.5 miles.

"By early 2002, a $28 million project will widen I-15 to three lanes in the southbound direction from Sloan to Primm, approximately 20 miles. In the northbound direction, from Primm to Sloan, a $70 million widening project also is planned to be under way in the coming years.

"The Las Vegas Parties have collectively spent approximately $1.2 million in lobbying for the funds that have been appropriated. Our next goal is to secure additional funds during the 2002 appropriation cycles, and the entities have collectively agreed to fund future lobbying efforts. We're working closely with government officials at state and federal levels. Members of Nevada's congressional delegation have, of course, played important roles in the funding process, and have pledged to continue to fight for the funds to widen I-15 in future appropriation cycles.

"Of all the issues that Southern Nevada will have to face in the future, few are more important than the widening of I-15. With more than 130,000 rooms in the valley and thousands more on the way, we must make it as easy as possible for visitors to get here, and to get home. It's a pressing issue that touches every segment of our economy, and it's one that has had our attention -- and effort -- for years.

"Sincerely,

"Manuel J. Cortez"