Traffic light point of contention

Street repairs and new traffic lights are common sights for Las Vegans, but in a town of 15,000 a new stoplight can be a growing pain.

That is how many Boulder City residents feel about the town's second traffic signal, which was unveiled Tuesday at Adams Boulevard and U.S. Highway 93.

The first traffic signal in the town's 38-year history was installed at U.S. 93 and Buchanan Boulevard in 1982, and that was enough for some.

"I'd rather have a reputation as a no-traffic-light town," said Larry Laune, a Boulder City resident for 50 years.

City Councilman Bill Smith said that citizens concern about overdevelopment and growth is why he voted against the signal when it came before the council.

"The community didn't support this move and that is why I'm in total disagreement with the signal," Smith said. "Part of our gas tax is going to have to go toward paying off the bonds for this project, and that money will be needed to keep our current streets in repair."

Boulder City voters rejected paying for the light as part of a $6 million road project in 1996. But, with Smith the only dissenting vote the council moved forward on the plan.

The signal is the final piece of the project that included 1/frac 3 fourths miles of road and grading of the Adams intersection at U.S. 95.

" One of the primary reasons for this installation is safety," Mayor Robert Ferraro said. "It will lessen traffic at our other signal and provide easy access to the southern portion of the city."

Those citizens concerned with the stoplight should not see it as a harbinger of overdevelopment, Ferraro said.

"The voter's fears stem from the fact that this stoplight is in an underdeveloped part of town," Ferraro said. "Some believe that the city will use this as a way to start to develop that area.

"That is something that I will not support for as long as I serve in this position."

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