Lawmaker onboard with bypass plan

By Mike Trask

Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Assemblyman Joe Hardy is heading the latest push to make the much-discussed Boulder City bypass a reality. The Boulder City Republican has requested a bill draft that would allow a private entity to construct and operate a toll road from Railroad Pass to the Hoover Dam.

It’s just what locals have been saying they need for the past three decades.

“I definitely support it,” Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler said. “This is one of the things we’ve been talking about” with the Nevada Transportation Department and others. “Tolling is going to have to be part of this.”

Boulder City, population 15,000, has long wanted to ease the constant traffic going through town on U.S. 93. Fears of massive traffic snarls and dangerous roads have increased during the construction of the Hoover Dam Bridge. When the bridge opens in 2010, commercial trucks will be allowed to cross the dam on U.S. 93, something that has been forbidden since 9/11.

“Everyone is concerned with the traffic in town,” Councilman Travis Chandler said. “We need to do something. So I’m glad this is being followed up on.”

But Chandler said it is unclear whether a toll would be enough to pay for the 17-mile, $500 million road. He also questioned whether the Legislature would pass the bill. In 2007, lawmakers killed a bill that would have allowed toll road experimentation in the state.

Officials have said a Boulder City bypass would be at least a four-year-long project, meaning Boulder City will undoubtedly face an onslaught of traffic when the Hoover Dam Bridge opens.

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Redevelopment plans in Henderson saw some good and some bad this week.

The Summit at Boulder Highway, a 144-unit apartment complex, was the latest downtown project to get a time extension. The 7.6-acre project has until February to get final approvals from the city. The developer, Michael Turk, will submit architectural plans to the city in about three months, according to paperwork filed with the city.

The city hopes the apartment complex will aid in the revitalization of Boulder Highway in Henderson.

In better news, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will rebuild a stake center at Water Street and Ocean Avenue. The 24,000-square-foot building will replace a building that was torn down this year. The Planning Commission approved the project, although the church must get final approval from the City Council this month.

The church is asking for a waiver of design guidelines that require two-story buildings along Water Street. The proposed church building would be one story.

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Local municipalities will soon be on the hook for a $300 million intake valve to ensure the region can still get water from Lake Mead in the next decade as the water level continues to drop.

A 15-member group of Henderson residents and business leaders brought together by the city has ideas on how to slow the drain. The committee has recommended higher water rates for the city’s biggest users, which could lead to penalties for households or businesses that waste water.

The committee also suggested making watering schedules and a ban on front lawns of new homes permanent laws. Those measures have been enforced only during the current drought.

Other ideas included expanding outreach and education programs to promote conservation.

The goal, officials say, is to lower individuals’ average water use from 265 gallons a day to 200 gallons a day by 2035.