Editorial: Move up schedule for river overpass

Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 | 8:43 a.m.

It makes sense for the Nevada Department of Transportation to push for the accelerated construction of a new crossing over the Colorado River, about one mile south of the outdated road that currently traverses Hoover Dam. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the federal government prohibited all traffic on the Hoover Dam bypass. The bypass was reopened to passenger cars and pickup trucks two days later, and local trucks and buses were allowed two weeks later, but there still is a ban on commercial trucks. That has meant about 1,400 trucks every day can't use the bypass on U.S. 93, which is the main road connecting Las Vegas to Phoenix. On Tuesday Nevada Department of Transportation Director Tom Stephens said that it would cost more to open the new overpass by 2005, two years ahead of schedule, but that it would be worth the effort since the dam could be s hut down at any time because of security concerns.

When the dam was completed in the 1930s, the winding road and narrow lanes were sufficient. But seven decades later the Hoover Dam bypass is a relic that just can't handle today's trucks, which are immense and overwhelm the road. Even without the restrictions on commercial traffic, implemented as a precaution to ward off the possibility of a terrorist attack against the dam, the Hoover Dam crossing has for years been a headache. What would be routine accidents on other highways can create traffic jams of monumental proportions on Hoover Dam, sometimes tying up traffic for hours. This also isn't good for tourism, either, since tourists coming from the Phoenix area might be put off by driving to Las Vegas if the Hoover Dam bypass continues to be a bottleneck. It could cost an extra $20 million to $30 million to fast-track the building of the new overpass, bu t it's clear that the federal government should expedite its construction.