Toll lane plans ready for Legislature to consider

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009 | 1:39 p.m.

CARSON CITY – The state Transportation Department is ready to ask the Legislature for permission to convert lanes on two heavily traveled highways in Clark County into toll roads.

The department has signed contracts worth $6 million with consultants and technical advisers to move forward with the project on a portion of Interstate 15 and U.S. 95 in Las Vegas, if approved by the Legislature.

Scott Rawlins, deputy director of the Transportation Department, said, if approved, it would result in $1 billion in construction and create jobs for 20,000 workers.

If approved by the Legislature, the department would advertise for a private company to partner with the state. “What we’re hoping they (the private company) will come in and build it, maintain it, operate it to our specifications. We will have oversight, we will have auditing,” Rawlins said after briefing the state Transportation Board on the progress.

The state has hired Wilbur Smith and Associates as technical advisors; KPMG as its financial consultants and Nossaman LLC for legal help. If the Legislature rejects the plan, than the contract with three companies will be cancelled, said Susan Martinovich, director of the department.

Commuters could choose to use the lanes by paying a toll that will depend on the congestion in the public lanes. There are no tollbooths. The tolls would be collected using an electronic toll collection system. Motorist would be assessed based on the time in the express lanes and the distance traveled.

As there is more congestion in the public lanes, the price would go up in the express lanes.

The state would get a portion of the revenue. There are still a lot of details to be worked out when the project is put out to bid and the contract is negotiated, Rawlins said.

The toll lanes would have increased access to the Strip. “There will be direct connections to the resort corridor,” said Rawlins. To access the resort corridor, a motorist now has to go Flamingo, Tropicana or Sahara, he said. Under the plans, there may be access at Harmon and Hacienda.

There would be no charge on the express way for transit buses, emergency vehicles and preregistered carpools with three or more passengers in the project that is called the “Pioneer Program.”

Consultants told the transportation board the state would not be issuing bonds to build the project. Financial risks would be assumed by the company developing the project.

There are expected to be a lot of questions when the issue comes before the Nevada Legislature, which opens Feb. 2.