Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

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Speed up plans for the beltway

AS much as we appreciate the City Council's concerns over burgeoning traffic in the northwest side of town, it's too late for a major change in plans for the beltway.

The council last week asked the County Commission to reconsider its plans to build the southeast leg of the beltway before constructing the northwest portion of the freeway. The argument centers on the high growth in the northwest area. The southeast side of town is just beginning to experience development.

What the council worries about is that plans to build part of the beltway from Interstate 15 to West Tropicana Avenue and Fort Apache Road, with a frontage road extending to Summerlin South and Summerlin, may preclude construction further north. The soaring cost of land in the northwest may make the right of way prohibitive.

But Bruce Woodbury, perhaps one of the most knowledgeable politicians on transportation problems, worries that the lead time required for the project prevents course changes. Besides, the Regional Transportation Commission does not have unlimited funds for freeway construction.

That's why the frontage road concept was approved north of Tropicana. It would provide an access to the west side, while delaying the expense of the full-blown freeway.

The council is right that high costs and long planning requirements will delay the beltway's completion until years after it's needed. That's been the problem with road construction all over the valley.

The council acknowledges that growth in the northwest has outstripped the capacity of U.S. 95 to carry the rush-hour load. But, even under the most optimistic schedule -- and assuming the beltway priorities could be altered -- another freeway won't arrive before the situation worsens considerably. Changing plans could set everything back even further.

One could argue that it would have been much cheaper to have constructed the beltway before the development occurred, but freeways are nearly impossible to justify without a proven need, and there was no need for a beltway until recently.

Still, the council makes a strong point on the right of way. The RTC should be locking up property on the northwest side as quickly as possible to ensure that land purchases don't bog the project down.

That should also be true for the entire stretch of the beltway -- from Henderson west and north to I-15 south of Apex. At the rate the population is growing, the entire beltway will be sorely needed long before it's complete. That's why there should be as few delays as possible.

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