Senate passes transportation bill as clock ticks on Nevada projects

By Karoun Demirjian

Thursday, March 15, 2012 | 2 a.m.

The U.S. Senate’s passage of a $109 billion transportation bill Wednesday comes as the clock ticks on funding for several Nevada projects.

Despite the sweeping bipartisanship that carried the Senate’s 74-22 vote — Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller both voted for the bill — the legislation to fund highway and bridge repair nationwide is not a sure deal, as the House of Representatives has yet to act on it.

It must pass in some form by the end of the month to avoid highway and other public transportation construction projects coming to a halt when funding runs out April 1.

On Wednesday, Reid urged House Speaker John Boehner to pass the Senate’s legislation in a hurry.

“He’s indicated that he likely would take up the Senate bill,” Reid said. “I hope that is in fact the case.”

While calling Senate passage good news, Nevada Transportation Department spokesman Scott Magruder said “any project with federal funding could be in jeopardy if they don’t pass it by March 31.”

In Las Vegas, that could affect major improvements to Interstate 15, from near Sahara Avenue to the Spaghetti Bowl, which the department has dubbed Project Neon. The department is currently purchasing property for the widening project.

As part of the bill, the state Transportation Department would be able to tap about $45 million in unspent funds allocated for the scuttled maglev rail project, for use in other transportation initiatives. The department previously told the Sun last month that the money would most likely go toward an Interstate 215/McCarran International Airport connector project estimated to cost about $107 million.

The Senate legislation would keep those and other projects funded at current levels, with the cost of most of the bill being footed by a tax on gasoline, as has been the case for several years. Part of the cost of the bill is also paid for by a new “phased retirement” initiative, which allows federal employees to work part time at the end of their careers — meaning be less of a draw on pension benefits.

Since 2005, Nevada has received, on average, more than $250 million a year in federal transportation funds.

Reid has been talking about the transportation bill since last year. It spent nearly five weeks on the Senate floor, bogged down by procedural hurdles and amendment votes on topics as disparate as renewable energy tax credits and contraceptive coverage for female employees of religious institutions.

Boehner appears to be giving House negotiators one last shot to come up with an original House transportation bill this week while most House lawmakers are in their districts for an at-home workweek — which for many, including Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley, has also been an opportunity to get in some extra campaign appearances.

But there isn’t much time left.