Flood control channel cost expected to rise

Stephen Curran

Wednesday, June 23, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

Higher-than-expected materials costs are expected to push up the price tag on a planned flood control channel in the Las Vegas Valley by an estimated $1.5 million, the general manager of the Regional Flood Control District said Tuesday.

The increase would bring the total cost of the Sloan Channel project, a drainage network near the Las Vegas Wash, to $9.7 million, up about 18 percent from the roughly $8.2 million previously earmarked for the project. District members are expected to vote on the increase at the agency's meeting Thursday, said Gale Fraser, general manager for the Clark County Regional Flood Control District.

Fraser said rises in cement, steel and plywood costs account for the seven-figure disparity in money set aside for construction and the private contractors' bids received. If approved, the increase will help offset resulting higher construction costs.

The flood control district approved the initial stage of the project, which set aside the first $8.2 million, in August 2003.

Any increases will likely be offset by projects completed over the course of the agency's 10-year construction program, set up to anticipate infrastructure improvements in the Las Vegas area.

Each year district planners review private bids for previously approved projects and increase or decrease the funds set aside for the plans based on differences within the bids, Kevin Eubanks, assistant general manager for the Flood Control District, said.