Transportation bill would give state $75 mil.

Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, Sept. 5, 2003 | 10:55 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Las Vegas monorail project would get $25 million in federal funding while another $5 million would be infused into the widening of the Las Vegas beltway and $7 million more would go into the construction of the Hoover Dam bypass road under a transporation spending bill approved by a Senate committee Thursday.

The bill includes $75 million for Nevada projects, with the largest chunk earmarked for construction of next segments of Las Vegas monorail, according to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev, spokeswoman Sharyn Stein. Reid sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which passed the bill. It still needs full consideration and approval by the Senate.

The $7 million in the bill, for the Hoover Dam bypass, would go into the ongoing construction of a second bridge across the canyon and the roads that connect to it. The bypass is expected to relieve congestion on U.S. 93 over the dam. Stein said Congress and the President approved $6.75 million for the project last year, but the amount of the allocation is not final yet.

So far, the bypass has received $126 million in public money of the $234 million expected to complete it, Stein confirmed. That includes $86 million in federal funds secured by Reid and other Arizona and Nevada lawmakers as well as $20 million each from Nevada and Arizona.

U.S. 93 closed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and although now open to traffic, is still congested as a main route between Nevada and Arizona.

The bill also allots $8 million for the third phase of the widening of U.S. 95 between Las Vegas and Laughlin. That third phase includes the Laughlin to Searchlight portion.

Also in the bill are $4 million for new air traffic control towers at McCarren International Airport, $3.5 million for Craig Road overpass and $300,000 for pedestrian overpasses in Las Vegas, Stein said.