LOOKING IN ON: SUBURBS

By Mike Trask

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 | 1:19 a.m.

Finally somebody said it. The dream of a Boulder City bypass - at a cost of at least $470 million - might never become reality.

Councilwoman Linda Strickland made the point about 70 minutes into the latest 90-minute discussion about what the city of 15,000 will do when the Hoover Dam Bridge opens in 2010.

The statement has no doubt been uttered before, probably hundreds of times, in the diners and taverns of Boulder City. But this time it was different. An elected official was acknowledging that the long and difficult effort may have been futile.

"I think the bypass is history," Strickland said. "Maybe I'm being pessimistic. But I don't think our government has the money to fund that project."

She didn't have a lot of support. At least not from her fellow elected officials.

"I think there is a point where we decide if we want to scrap the bypass," Mayor Roger Tobler said. "I don't think we're at that point."

He noted the city has been gaining momentum from years of lobbying. The state has drawn up plans for the road. There just isn't the money. There may be in the future.

One resident who spoke at the meeting said he is ready to throw in the towel. "I try to be positive about everything," Rich Loudin said. "And I positively agree with Linda."

How will the Hoover Dam Bridge affect Boulder City?

Traffic will be crazy. At the very least, 2,000 trucks daily will return to U.S. 93, a route banned for such vehicles since 9/11. The trucks would join the thousands of cars already driving through town on the way to or from Las Vegas. More cars will join the caravan if planned homes in northern Arizona get built and sold to Las Vegas commuters.

So why don't they just build a road around the city?

That's what the Boulder City Council wants to do. But it doesn't have the cash. It has $33 million in federal money earmarked for the project, which leaves it $437 million short. And even if - and this is a very big if - the city gets the rest of the money, the proposed 13-mile loop around the city is not scheduled to be constructed until 2025.

Plus, Nevada is $4 billion short in funds needed to upgrade and improve its highways.

Add that to the fact that seemingly every road in gridlocked Southern Nevada could use some improvements and you can figure $400 million probably isn't going to be spent because 15,000 folks in Boulder City are inconvenienced.

That, essentially, was Strickland's point during Tuesday's discussion.

Could anything else be done to ease the traffic congestion?

The state Transportation Department suggested a roundabout at U.S. 93 and Buchanan Boulevard, among other ideas. That idea has been widely dismissed by council members.

Scott Hansen, public works director, suggested adding a median to U.S. 93 from Yucca Street to Buchanan. A light would be added at Yucca and left-hand turns would be limited in the half-mile west of town. In theory, this would allow traffic to flow more smoothly.

"We have a lot of businesses that I'm sure are going to be cross-eyed about us even considering putting a median in the highway," Councilman Mike Pacini said.

Yet the council agreed the plan is worth discussing. The light at Yucca, however, would need Transportation Department approval.

I don't live in Boulder City. Why should I care?

The bypass project involves the potential spending of $470 million in taxpayer money. And there also could be painfully long waits to get to Lake Mead, not to mention that those trips to take your in-laws to Hoover Dam (they'll want to see the new bridge) will become that much longer.

A Boulder City bypass also could make the commute from Arizona faster, increasing development efforts.