Senate OKs $73 million in projects for Nevada

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:44 a.m.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved more than $73 million in transportation projects for Nevada on Thursday, more than half of it earmarked for road, rail and airport projects affecting the Las Vegas Valley.

The full Senate is expected to vote on the spending bill in September, said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The transportation bill includes a total of $16.5 million for a bridge to bypass Hoover Dam. Reid said he inserted special language in the bill to speed up construction of the bypass.

The bill also includes $10 million to widen U.S. 95 in Laughlin at the cutoff to Railroad Pass, which will help ease traffic in Laughlin until the bypass bridge is completed.

Another $3.5 million goes to construction of the Las Vegas beltway from Pecos Road to Stephanie Avenue, and another $1 million to study ways to widen Interstate 15 between North Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Speedway.

Reid said he put $1 million to build pedestrian overpasses in downtown Las Vegas to help spur development there.

At least $10 million has been included for a monorail that will travel along the Strip. Another $9 million could build new bus and train depots around Las Vegas.

There's $200,000 for a federal study on an Amtrak high-speed train between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and $2 million to continue work on creating a magnetic levitation train between Southern Nevada and Southern California.

McCarran International Airport could receive $5.3 million to improve the air traffic control tower and other equipment and $1.5 million for an alternative-fuel bus project.