Plan to widen U.S. 95 has homeowners on alert

One of the Las Vegas Valley's biggest traffic bottlenecks is on its way to becoming unclogged.

In the spring, the Nevada Department of Transportation plans to release the results of a study it is conducting on how the roadway should be expanded.

The plan is to widen the highway from six lanes to 10 lanes from the Spaghetti Bowl to Rainbow Boulevard. The portion of the highway between Rainbow and Craig Road, which is now four lanes, would be upgraded to six.

"Right now that road is not able to provide the level of service that it should be providing," said Kent Cooper, program development manager for NDOT.

The highway was designed to accommodate an average daily traffic volume of 70,000 vehicles. A 1997 study found that 177,000 cars use the roadway each day. When the widening is complete the road will be able to easily handle 250,000 vehicles each day.

Indeed, during morning and afternoon commute times the traffic is bumper-to-bumper.

Cooper said the primary reason for the increased traffic volume is the development of the northwestern part of the Las Valley Valley.

"Just think back to the 1970s, there wasn't anything out there," Cooper said. "Now, that is one of the fastest growing areas we have."

Cooper said while the highway widening is needed, it does not come without a certain amount of pain to neighbors.

"This expansion could result in displacing as many as 400 homes and businesses," he said.

One of those homes belongs to Janice Montoya, who lives at 10 Princeton St.

"This is the first house I've ever owned. I've lived here for nine years. It's a nice quiet neighborhood. I really don't want to leave. What I'm concerned about is whether I'll get the money I put in this house back if I'm forced to sell."

From her front porch, her view is clear: an unending stretch of concrete adorned with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"I don't really hear the traffic when the door is closed. It is really a pretty quiet neighborhood. It's one of the most affordable places to live in this part of town."

But it is almost inevitable that the home Montoya paid $55,000 for will one day be bulldozed. She works as a revenue agent for the Internal Revenue Service.

"Where else can you get a home for under $100,000 in Las Vegas? Sure they can pay me for my house, but will I ever be able to find another one where I have a little bitty house payment?"

For others in the neighborhood, the prospects of moving are not particularly alarming.

"Hey, there isn't anything we can do about it, so I'm not worried," said Pablo Valadez as he replaced the headlight on his car. "I've lived here a couple of years. I don't want to move. But I'm just renting, so it's no big deal. There are people in the neighborhood, who just bought homes. I really feel sorry for them."

Valadez, a night manager for a fast-food restaurant, lives at 9 Princeton St.

The state transportation department will likely spend the next three years acquiring the needed right-of-way," said Cathy Razor, a consultant retained by NDOT.

One area of contention is which direction the highway will be widened near Valley View Boulevard. If it is expanded to the north it will mean the removal of 62 homes. But an expansion to the south will destroy 14 acres of the 180-acre Big Springs nature and archeological site. The site is owned by the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

"This area absolutely needs to be preserved. It is historically significant, as well as the home of many, many different species," said Kim Zukosky, an environmental project manager for the water district.

The 180-acre site is a treasure trove of artifacts of Nevada's past.

"There are very few cities in the world where you can point to a spot and say that's where the city began," said J.C. Davis, a spokesman for the water district. "But you can do that here in Las Vegas. This is where the city began."

Indeed, for thousands of years Indian tribes gathered at the site, where natural springs gurgled and fed a creek that meandered south.

The ruins of springhouses, built by early settlers, still stand on the site.

"The springs probably extended to where the highway is now and on to the other side," Zukosky said. "But what makes this site significant is that it has remained undisturbed over the years. It is really much the same as when the first settlers came here. This is the spot Las Vegas is named after -- the meadows."

Razor said a decision has not yet been made on whether the highway will be widened onto the Big Springs site.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is recommending that the highway not be widened onto the Big Springs property. Instead it is calling for displacing the homes on the northside of the highway.

But the ultimate decision on what land will be taken will be made by the Federal Highway Administration.

A firm timetable for construction has not yet been completed, Razor said. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration has not given the official green light for the widening to proceed. That approval is expected to be received sometime in the fall, she said.

Construction begin as soon as early 2001, she said.

"It's possible that we may be able to do some construction during the acquisition phase," she said. "But if I was going to guess, I'd say this entire project will not be complete sometime between 2005 and 2008."

It's not yet known what segments of the highway will be widened first, she said.

It will cost about $320 million to widen the highway, Cooper said. These monies will come almost entirely from federal and state gasoline taxes, Cooper said.

"I don't like to say there will be no local taxes involved," Cooper said. "Because, after all, local people pay those taxes."

Cooper said it is likely the state will pay for as much as 30 or 40 percent of the cost of this project.

Razor said properties all along the highway between the Spaghetti Bowl and Rainbow Boulevard will be affected by the proposed widening.

Cooper added, "There really isn't one particular area that is a lot more affected than another."

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