U.S. 95 widening will be done early

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001 | 9:48 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The $400 million job to widen U.S. 95 in northwest Las Vegas may be finished a year ahead of schedule, state Transportation Director Tom Stephens said today.

The five phases should be completed in 2006 instead of 2007, Stevens said, adding that the department is looking for ways to shave more time off the construction in an effort to eliminate traffic bottlenecks.

The big challenge, Stephens said, is acquiring the hundreds of homes and businesses along the way to allow for expansion of the highway to 10 lanes, up from the present six lanes.

"It isn't like building a road in the desert. We've got to do one house at a time," Stephens said.

"Acquiring the rights of way and relocating the people so they are not unduly harmed is the big challenge," he said.

"We're dealing with hundreds of homes and businesses."

And the department is streamlining its appraisal and acquisition efforts that will save time.

Stephens said plans call for building the Rainbow Boulevard overpass earlier instead of at the last phase. That will give "a little relief to the bottleneck at Rainbow curve," he said.

Phase one from Rainbow to Cheyenne Avenue is almost completed, and the next phase from Cheyenne to Craig Road has already started. The following phases call for bridges at Torrey Pines Drive and Valley View and Jones boulevards.

The department, Stephens said, intends to combine phases four and five to the Spaghetti Bowl.

He said Gov. Kenny Guinn has been instrumental in helping speed the work. "With the governor's support you can do things you normally can't do," he said.

It was Guinn who initially complained about the traffic tie-ups and who said he could understand complaints by motorists.

This is the largest project ever undertaken by the department, Stephens said.