Bill jump-starts local projects

Stephen Curran

Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005 | 8:37 a.m.

The long-stalled highway and mass transit bill that finally sputtered its way through Congress late last week didn't come a minute too early for Southern Nevada, local House and transportation officials said Wednesday.

Nevada's share of the $286.4 billion transportation bill -- $1.3 billion over five years -- is exactly what Clark County will need to jump-start the massive highway and mass transit projects that will fuel future growth here, Jacob Snow, the Regional Transportation Commission's general manager, said.

"The list is so long it's really hard to keep track" of the numerous projects to be funded through the legislation, Snow said during a brief press conference Wednesday morning. "There's a tremendous list."

High on that list is a planned interchange at Interstate 15 and U.S. 95, connecting Martin Luther King Boulevard to Industrial Road and widening U.S. 95 from Rainbow Boulevard to Kyle Canyon, according to the RTC. Mass transit improvements are expected to include a planned extension of the agency's Metropolitan Area Express service along the busy Boulder Highway.

Such improvements will be crucial as Southern Nevada can expect to see thousands of new commuters as the region continues to grow, Snow said.

"We're making investments in the economy and we're making investments in the quality of life," he said.

It took the most recent transportation bill two years and 12 temporary extensions to make it out of the House of Representatives on Friday. The six-year legislation replaces a previous bill that expired in 2003.

The new legislation is a 30 percent increase over the last bill.Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jon Porter, R-Nev., both sit on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

"I have lived and breathed this legislation for quite a while," Berkley said at Wednesday's press conference.

The projects illustrate an effort by the RTC to tap into gasoline tax revenue deposited into the federal Highway Trust Fund, which collects roughly 18 cents in federal taxes for every $1 spent on gasoline. Of the 18 cents, 15 go toward highway construction while the remainder is used for mass transit projects, Snow said.

But Nevada leaders must first apply for the money before they can see a return on their investment, he added.

"If we don't do these (mass transit) projects, we're giving our 3 cents away," Snow said of criticism of proposed improvements to public transportation. "If we don't, we're giving our money to other states."