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Legislators to consider toll road around Boulder City to alleviate congestion

Boulder City Traffic

Traffic leaves town heading toward Henderson on U.S. 93 near Veterans Memorial Drive in Boulder City on Friday, Feb. 25, 2011. Launch slideshow »
Roger Tobler

Roger Tobler

Boulder City

CARSON CITY – A bill has been introduced in the state Senate to require the Nevada Department of Transportation to work with private industry to build a toll road around Boulder City to relieve growing traffic congestion in the city.

Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, said traffic has been bottled up since the opening of the new bridge near the Hoover Dam. The toll road would cost $300 million to $400 million.

The tolls to be established under Senate Bill 214 could include specific charges for use of high-occupancy lanes and time of day or week based on the level of congestion. Cameras could be used to ensure the motorist paid the correct toll.

The amounts would be set by the state transportation board.

“A public-private partnership is a wonderful place to get jobs on the ground, people employed and improve the economy of Nevada,” Hardy said. It would also allow tourists coming from Arizona to get quicker access to Las Vegas to spend their money, he said.

“This would be quicker than, ‘Let's get an interstate built tomorrow,’” he said.

The project meets all of the criteria for tolling, Hardy said. The bill, however, would require a two-thirds vote because it would contain a new assessment.

He said Boulder City has made the land available so there wouldn't be problems with easements, rights-of-way or eminent domain. The National Park Service “has signed off in recognizing” the toll road would be over a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The toll road would be about 14 miles, compared to the 10 miles it now takes to go through the Boulder City area. But it would give motorists the choice of speeding up on the toll road or taking the slower route through Boulder City.

The first phase of the project has funding, Hardy said. The second phase doesn't, yet.

The toll road would connect with where the bypass bridge ends and head south of Boulder City, then continue to U.S. 95.

There would be an electronic or automatic system for collecting the toll. Those who evaded the toll payment would have their car registration held up when it came up for renewal.

Exempt from the tolls would be cars with three or more people, government vehicles and emergency vehicles.

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