nevada highway users coalition
February 20, 2008

Dear Highway User,

Not surprisingly, the cost of meeting our highway needs is going up. According to the Nevada Department of Transportation’s cost-benefit analysis, the most needed projects for Fiscal Years 2009 to 2016 create an estimated $5.1 to $6.3 billion budget shortfall based on current revenue streams. That’s right – current revenue streams don’t get us there!

This shortfall includes the $1 billion the Nevada Legislature and Governor redirected to transportation projects during the 2007 Legislative Session. This is above and beyond the short term solution passed last session!

In order to meet this budget shortfall thru bonding, Martinovich estimated NDOT will need an additional $450 million annually by 2016. Without such an increase, the state will be forced to cut or delay essential infrastructure projects, including the widening of I-15 and U.S. 95 in Las Vegas.

Lawmakers on the Legislative Commission’s Subcommittee on Transportation Issues expressed concern about the Legislature’s ability to meet this shortfall without tax or fee increases. Subcommittee Chairman Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, stated that during upcoming meetings the subcommittee will examine those projected shortfalls and where the state might find solutions through increased revenue sources.

Should the subcommittee agree on a potential solution, Nolan said he’s prepared to submit a bill draft request to the 2009 Legislature. He has asked NDOT Director Susan Martinovich to speak with the governor regarding his vision for addressing this shortfall. She said she would report back to the subcommittee at a future meeting.

In order to see a full list of the subject projects, please click here to visit the Nevada Highway Users Coalition’s research page.
www.fixnvroads.com/research.html

Sincerely,
Nevada Highway Users Coalition
 
Please let us know about your experiences by sending email to tellus@fixnvroads.com.

Arizona: Nevada’s neighbor is facing many of the same transportation funding problems as the Silver State, and not surprisingly there are several influential businessmen and politicians promoting public-private partnerships and toll roads as a potential solution.

Gov. Janet Napolitano has emphasized the need for transportation improvements and an effort is underway to develop a long-range transportation plan for the state. While the idea of toll roads has not been received well in Arizona to date, look for public-private partnerships to get into the mix in the coming years. Read an article on this issue from the Arizona Republic at:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0217tollroads0217.html

New Jersey: Many eyes on the East Coast are still fixed on New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine’s efforts to steeply increase tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and other major thoroughfares to pay down the state’s debt and fund transportation infrastructure. The two articles below from the New York Times highlight various views of the issue. The first indicates the political wall Mr. Corzine is facing at the State Legislature, where all Republican and key Democratic lawmakers say his plan is dead unless greatly altered. (The plan would increase tolls by 50 percent every four years from 2010 to 2022 plus index them for inflation).

The second highlights the concerns of many in the trucking industry about the effect the higher tolls would have on warehousing and distribution along the Turnpike. Warehousing and distribution is the state’s single largest employment sector.
Article 1: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/nyregion/09tolls.html
Article 2: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/nyregion/14turnpike.html


NHUC Conference
 

The Nevada Highway Users Coalition meeting last week was tremendously well received. Guest Speaker Lane Beattie, the President of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce and former President of the Utah State Senate, gave a tremendous speech about the successes they’ve seen in Utah and the tactics that have proven fruitful. His greatest emphasis was on the power of the business community when united behind a single cause.

In Utah, that voice resulted in voter approval of a 2006 ballot question increasing the state’s sales tax by ¼ of a percent to fund transportation projects. While it’s often assumed all the infrastructure was built to accommodate the Olympics, that ballot question occurred AFTER the 2002 Olympics. Mr. Beattie is currently advocating a gas tax increase in Utah of 2 cents per gallon per year for 15 years. His presentation to the Nevada Highway Users Coalition was covered by television Channels 2, 4, 8 and 26 in Reno.

In 1932 there were 24.4 million registered vehicles in the United States. In 2005 there were 241 million.

Source: American Highway Users Alliance 75th Anniversary Magazine
nevada highway users coalition