Breaking gridlock

Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008 | 2:09 a.m.

There is no doubt that Nevada needs billions of dollars in road construction projects if the state’s highway system is to escape increased traffic congestion in the near future. Yet Nevada’s political leaders are in a state of gridlock.

As Cy Ryan reported in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, legislative leaders are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how the state will come up with up to $6 billion over the next decade to finance needed work.

Members of a legislative transportation subcommittee looked to the governor for answers. Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said the governor should provide “guidance to the subcommittee.”

But the subcommittee should know it will not receive any useful guidance. Last year the Legislature funded only a fifth of the needed construction projects because Gov. Jim Gibbons would not agree to raise taxes to pay for the work. Gibbons stunningly hailed that plan as a success.

Meanwhile, Congress is reviewing recommendations by the bipartisan National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which has called for increases in taxes and funding for the country’s highway, transit and rail systems. As reported by Steve Kanigher in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, the recommendations include increasing the nation’s transit spending from about $86 billion a year to $225 billion annually for the next 50 years.

Las Vegas consultant Tom Skancke, a member of the commission, said the question that must be answered is, “Do you want the best transportation system in the world, or do you want to be No. 3 to India and China?”

Las Vegas commuters and the tourists who drive here understand that. The time they spend on our crowded freeways continues to increase.

However, it is clear that Gibbons, a Northern Nevadan, simply does not understand the pressing need in Las Vegas. The Legislature will need to find a way to overcome the governor’s objections or come up with a veto-proof plan when it meets next year.

Otherwise, Nevada will remain stuck in gridlock.