$100 million in bonds to help bypass

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 | 9:24 a.m.

While Congress and the White House fight over what to allocate for projects in the federal transportation spending bill, the Hoover Dam bypass project will get $100 million in bonds to continue construction, project officials said.

The state money, which is expected to be repaid with eventual federal money that the $234 million bypass project will receive in the transportation bill, is designed to prevent delays in the 3.5-mile project that is scheduled for completion by 2008, officials said.

The $100 million debt will be split evenly between Nevada and Arizona as construction on the Arizona approach portion of the project is 85 percent complete and the Nevada approach section is 30 percent complete, officials said.

"The bonds are a terrific boost of energy to the project," said Dave Zanetell, the Federal Highway Administration's project manager for the bypass.

"They will enable us to get the approaches in place to provide access to the site, create a staging area and minimize public impact. The bonding demonstrates the collaborative team effort of the project -- a joint state and federal commitment."

The new bridge for U.S. 93 across the Colorado River will be located a quarter of a mile south of Hoover Dam.

According to the project's Web site, hooverdambypass.org., the Nevada approach costs $30.1 million.

Among those improvements are more than two miles of four-lane roadway, six bridges, a traffic interchange at U.S. 93 near the Hacienda Casino, retaining walls, wildlife crossings, trail extensions and parking.

The Arizona approach costs $21.5 millione. It, too, includes nearly two miles of four-lane roadway, as well as a 900-foot bridge on the east side of Sugarloaf Mountain, a traffic interchange at U.S. 93 and Kingman Wash Road, wildlife crossings and trail access parking.

The Nevada approach, which began in October 2003, is expected to be completed next spring. The Arizona approach is expected to be complete in the fall, the Web site said.

The project will alleviate traffic that now crosses at the dam. However, federal officials have said they have no plans to close traffic to visitors to the popular tourist attraction once the bypass is built.

The bypass also will move commercial vehicle traffic that currently is being rerouted south to Laughlin because of safety measures initiated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.