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December 20, 2007

Message from the Coalition

Hello Highway User,

So – how long does it take to plan for and build a highway? Longer than you might think.

Take the U.S. 95 Widening in Las Vegas as an example. This project, the most expensive in NDOT history with a price tag of roughly $500 million, began in 1995 with a traffic study. This analysis of traffic in the NW Las Vegas valley resulted in a series of recommendations of which the U.S. 95 widening was just one. The U.S. 95 project is prime example of the need for forward thinking when it comes to roadway capacity due to the time it takes to plan and build major road projects.

The Nevada Department of Transportation deserves a series of congratulations for 12 years of hard work from highway users throughout southern Nevada after the official opening of the U.S. 95 widening project this week. Reports from drivers are that travel times have dropped drastically with the greater road capacity.

Unfortunately, traffic volumes have increased substantially since the project was designed and the three vehicle lanes in each direction in the northern end of the project are no longer sufficient. This issue was identified in 2003 and plans are in place to remedy the issue.

Also significant about the opening of the U.S. 95 project is that it’s the first use of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes in the Las Vegas Valley. One lane in each direction will be reserved for vehicles with multiple occupants. Those HOV lanes will be activated at a future date.

A comprehensive environmental impact study was conducted for all projects and was finalized in 2000. Although the state used expedited construction methods to speed construction, a lawsuit by the Sierra Club delayed the project nine months and added $20 million to the overall project price tag.

While it’s occasionally difficult to think more than five years down the road in our own lives, NDOT and other transportation bodies are thinking much further than that, and the U.S. 95 Widening project is a tremendous example of the good planning and foresight that’s needed to stay ahead of roadway capacity throughout the state.

Sincerely,
Nevada Highway Users Coalition

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National Updates

One of the most hotly-debated transportation topics anywhere in the country right now is in Pennsylvania, where officials are examining the costs and benefits of either adding tolls to Interstate 80 or leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) to a private company for operation.

Those who support leasing the turnpike argue it could generate more than twice as much revenue as installing tolls on I-80, which still needs approval from the Federal Highway Administration before a pilot project could be launched early next year. The Pennsylvania Legislature has already approved a bill authorizing tolls along I-80.

Businesses located along I-80 are starting to chime in about the economic cost of tolling their primary access route. One company, First Quality Products, says outbound freight alone will cost is $2.1 million in tolls if the plan is implemented. Supporters of tolling I-80 say those estimates are inflated.

The issue is currently a hot topic, and just last Friday the Federal Highway Administration requested additional information from the state. A couple articles are below.

Associated Press:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/12/13/ap4438463.html

Philadelphia Enquirer:
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/12518506.html

Nevada Updates

As stated in the column to the left, the NDOT conducted the official opening of U.S. 95 in Clark County this week. The largest project in NDOT history, the project took nearly a decade and cost an estimated $500 million.

Motorists are quickly seeing the benefit of chance, with travel times along the route drastically reduced. The project widened the highway between the Spaghetti Bowl to the edge of the valley.

Las Vegas Review Journal:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/12586956.html

Public-private partnerships are also a big issue in Nevada currently, with the governor’s PPP study committee recommending that the state move forward with examining how such partnerships could work in Nevada.

Nevada Department of Transportation officials are now working on developing a pilot project that can be considered later. The project, most likely along I-15, should be presented to the PPP Committee at a meeting in late February of early March. The project will be modeled around congestion relief.

Nevada Appeal:
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20071207/NEWS/112070140

Also attracting attention is attorney Kermitt Waters’ ballot initiative to increase gaming taxes to a national average, currently 20.2 percent. Under the plan, property taxes would be completely erased while the much sharper increase in gaming revenue would be redistributed to make up the gap and expand other programs.

That redistribution includes 35 percent going to transportation infrastructure and highways to help make up the current budget shortfall for major projects.

Associated Press:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/12456201.html